


Born in the Purple

by advictorem



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Femslash, Slash, roman!Thalia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-01-18 08:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1421875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/advictorem/pseuds/advictorem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thalia and Jason are the fraternal twins of Jupiter. When a new war is waged, the Romans and Greeks must be united. In order to set events into motion, Hera swipes the memory of one of the twins and sends them to Camp Half-Blood. Contains mostly slash and femslash pairings, including: Theyna, Piper/Thalia, Perico, (possibly future) Jasper, Annabeth/Clarisse [Lost Hero AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stranger in a Strange Land

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter resembles the Lost Hero, and most of the scenes are from the book, but things will be very different from this point on. Thalia just thinks similarly to her brother because, as children of Jupiter who were both raised in Camp Jupiter, they have much in common. Of course, they are also very different in other ways, so I tried to keep Thalia more-or-less in character.
> 
> Enjoy!

_Aut vincere aut mori._

_Conquer or die._

The words held no true meaning to Thalia, and yet she felt like they should have.

She was asleep, that much she was positive of. As for everything else…well, the rest of her knowledge was a blur. She was sure of her name and state of mind, but she didn’t know anything else about herself. What did she look like? How old was she? Was she cute? Did wondering that mean she was arrogant?

Thalia could feel her eyebrows furrow. A giggle broke through her sleepy concentration, and slender fingers settling onto her scrunched brows fully awoke her. She was on-alert immediately, her eyes of an unknown color flickering open quickly. She barely saw her own arm reaching out to strike her potential assailant.

The cute giggling ceased instantly, and Thalia found her obviously powerful hand tightly wrapped around the column of a pretty girl’s throat. She stared blankly into a pair of beautiful eyes that seemed to be constantly shifting their color.

The eyes were panicked and filled with surprise, and Thalia grew even more befuddled. Why had a girl been attacking her?

“What are you doing?” a boy’s voice broke through the awkwardly-exchanged stare competition. A brown head of curly hair popped up in front of the two girls, and the owner of the voice spun around in his bus seat to see them properly. “You two aren’t getting kinky again, are you?”

Thalia’s hand fell from the girl’s throat and before she even realized what she was doing, she grabbed the boy by his hair and tugged him half-way over the bus seat. The Latino boy struggled, eyeing her in something akin to annoyance.

“Ow! Watch the hair, dude! When the hell did you get so strong?”

She didn’t know who these people were, but something about them was sending her nerves into a wild craze. She had to defend herself. She didn’t know where on earth she was, or why she was there. She had to get some answers.

“Thalia, what are you doing?” the girl spoke for the first time, one of her hands rubbing her throat sorely. The other hand gripped Thalia’s wrist, willing her to loosen her grip. “Let Leo down. What’s gotten into you?”

Despite being disoriented, Thalia released the young Latino boy. “Who are you people?” Thalia asked, staring at the two of them in distrust. Her eyebrow arched over at the girl, who she realized had to be of some Native American descent. “And how do you know my name?”

The girl next to Thalia, very much shorter than her, ran her hand through her choppy brown hair. “It’s just me, Piper, silly.” Thalia was caught off-guard when _Piper_ didn't take advantage of her confused state and lunge out at her. Instead, Piper looked sincerely concerned. “Did you have another nightmare?”

“I think she’s sleep-walking again,” the Latino boy, Leo, responded. Bravely—for someone who wanted to lose an arm—he reached out and playfully patted her on the head. “Come on, now, buddy. Wake up!”

“I’m not sleeping,” Thalia replied evenly, swatting away his offending hand. “Where are we?”

“Oh my god, you really don’t know, do you?” Piper asked, bewildered. “Thalia, did you hit your head or something?”

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Thalia insisted, not bothering to answer any of Piper’s questions. Her head swiveled as she took in everything going on around her—the desert passing them by, teenagers playing around on MP3’s and chattering. “This isn't right.”

Leo snorted. “Sure,” he said sarcastically. “You don’t belong here. You aren't a delinquent like the rest of us. C’mon, dude, knock off the act. It was funny at first, but now it’s getting kind of irritating.”

“Leo, hush,” Piper commanded unthinkingly. Thalia was surprised to see that Leo complied without question, without hesitance. Piper glanced back at Thalia worriedly. “How is it not right?”

There was hopeless, nervous edge in her voice that made Thalia seriously consider her next response. Even though she was absolutely positive that she had never seen either of the teenagers in her life, she felt a strange inclination to make Piper feel assured.

“I…I don’t know you,” Thalia found herself uttering. “I don’t know anyone. I’m sorry.”

“Thalia…” the small brunette girl looked genuinely hurt.

“Um, I don’t—” Thalia was cut off by the sound of a loud man bellowing.

“All right, cupcakes! Listen up!”

For some reason, Thalia found herself irritated. What made him think that he could sit there and talk to her like that? She was the daughter of…

She furrowed her eyebrows. Well, that was certainly strange. She felt some strange sense of importance. She shook it off, dismissing it as yet another confusing aspect of the day.

The man who had spoken stood from his seat, and Thalia had to bet that he came up to her collarbone on a good day. He was dressed like the typical coach, with a baseball cap pulled low over his hair and an orange polo pulled tightly over his buff chest. He also wore running shoes and loose nylon workout pants. His goatee was sparse and his expression unnecessarily stern like he was trying way too hard to appear intimidating.

Some kids yelled hateful things at him, and he angrily scanned the aisles for the troublemakers. When his beady eyes landed on Thalia, his face transformed into an expression that made him look like he had just stuffed eighteen jalapenos into his mouth all at once.

She didn't know why, but his eyes on her made her feel a sense of anxiousness. Maybe it was the way the coach looked at her—as if he knew that she didn't belong there. He was the only one so far to stare at her like he didn't recognize her.

Coach Hedge (Piper whispered to Thalia to reveal his name) looked away and cleared his throat pointedly. “We’ll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don’t lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I’ll send you back to campus the hard way.”

Worksheet? Thalia couldn't remember anything about her past, but she had a feeling that schoolwork wasn't her forte.

Piper must have noticed Thalia’s sudden fury, because she reached over and grasped her forearm as if to calm her temper.

“He gets away with disrespecting me...I mean, us like that?”

Piper sighed long and nodded. “He always talks to us like that. It’s the Wilderness School.”

“Where kids are the animals,” Leo agreed, smirking.

Thalia nearly growled. She stopped herself just barely, realizing that such an action would have caused her new old friends to glance at her in fright. Before she had lost her memory, what kind of psycho had she been? There were dangerous instincts coursing through her veins, encouraging her to fight, to conquer, to kill.

She was reminded of those words that first came to the front of her mind: _Conquer or die_.

A sudden sound jolted her from her inner monologue. It only took her seconds to trace the sound, and she frowned when she realized that it was just the curly-haired boy tapping his fingers restlessly on the bus seat.

“I hope you brought your worksheet, Amnesia Girl,” Leo was saying, obviously trying to find some humor in their desperate situation. “I used mine up as spit wads days ago. You should have seen Ms. Rigby’s face when I pegged her in the forehead with one.”

Unable to help herself, she felt the corners of her lips almost twitch into a smirk. Leo looked pleased at the sight, but wisely avoided commenting further.

Thalia just couldn't help but find the mental image funny. C’mon—a red-faced teacher with a spit wad sticking to her forehead?

Piper laced their fingers together, giving Thalia a sheepish look whenever she eyed her in surprise. “Even if you don’t remember it, you’re my girlfriend and I’m going to hold hands with you. If you don’t like that, tough luck, pal.”

When Thalia failed to acknowledge the girl’s action, feeling highly uncomfortable, Piper frowned. “You really don’t remember us.”

“It’s…worse than that,” Thalia muttered. “I don’t even remember who I am.”

Before any more could be said, the bus suddenly came to a stop in front of a large crimson stucco building. One glance around confirmed that they were in the middle of nowhere, in some desert or another. A cold breeze, out of place and definitely unwelcomed, chilled Thalia.

It was then that she bothered to check what she was wearing. She seriously doubted that black jeans, combat boots, a purple t-shirt, and a thin leather jacket would sufficiently protect her from the brisk temperature.

On instinct, she pulled back the sleeve of her jacket. There was something she was wearing that caused a jolt of recognition to shoot through her. She had a wide and lengthy, pure silver bracelet on her left forearm. There were strange engravings in the metal—serpents, ancient glyphs, and a small lightning bolt.

“Before Coach Dipshit makes us get off the bus, we should at least inform you about some things,” Piper pointed out. “I don’t want anyone to realize that something is amiss.”

“Please,” Leo snorted. “She’s totally tugging us around, Pipes.”

“She is not,” Piper argued. “She’s too sweet to do something like that. We’ll figure this problem out later. For now, we just need to act as normally as possible.”

Thalia would have taken offense if the girl didn't look so sincere.

Leo smiled, rubbing his hands together as if preparing for something. Thalia had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be something she would like. “Crash course, anyone?”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Leo—”

“We go to the Wilderness School, which means we’re ‘bad kids’. Troublemakers, hooligans, you name it. Your parents or the government was sick of putting up with you and decided to ship you off to this lovely prison—sorry, boarding school—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn to do a lot of creative bullshit with nature and frolic through cacti. And, like we’re doing now, we occasionally go on educational field trips, directed by the remarkable Coach Hedge, who undoubtedly has a lower IQ than mayonnaise.”

“Any of this ringing a bell?” Piper asked softly, patiently.

“No,” Thalia responded reluctantly as she observed the people around her. They were all around her age—sixteen, maybe seventeen. Try as she might, she did not recognize a single one of them.

Leo rolled his eyes. Thalia got the urge to knock them out of his skull. “You’re really going to continue this, aren’t you? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We’re the best of friends. You do everything I say, I’m a much better athlete than you, you worship the ground I walk on, and you shine my shoes twice a week.”

Thalia didn't remember anything but her own name, but she was pretty damn sure that she didn’t ever worship another person. She didn’t feel like it was who she was…whoever she was.

“Leo Valdez!” Piper reprimanded. “Don’t tease her. You’re messing around with her head.”

“Fine,” Leo relented. “Those last few comments were just jokes, but we really are friends.”

Ah, that was better.

“Well, Piper, as you have already probably assumed, is a little more than your friend.”

Piper blushed although she snuggled a little into Thalia’s side. “Leo, would you stop it?”

Thalia honestly didn't remember a damn thing about this girl, but she felt that she very much liked pretty girls. Piper was indeed a pretty girl, so she frankly didn't seem the harm in their closeness.

“Seriously,” Leo prattled on, unaffected. “Though I have to say, I didn't know you two would actually end up dating, what with the way Thalia's eyes tend to, uh, _wander_.”

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

Piper shrugged, unaffected. “So? I look at other women, too. Besides, she said she grew up around her father, who was always chasing skirts.”

It was really bothering Thalia that they were speaking as if she wasn't there.

“My father?” Thalia echoed.

When she repeated the word father in her head, she saw no image. There was no man coming home in a fancy business suit or playing catch with her. There was no man punishing her for coming home late or grounding her for the rest of her life. She saw nothing.

“C’mon,” Piper urged Thalia to her feet, pulling her up by their connected hands. “Coach Hedge is letting us off the bus.”

Leo grumbled something about not getting to use a megaphone, before he followed after them. Once they were all off of the bus, Thalia found that it was much easier to survey her surroundings. It was all desert land, as far as she could tell. She didn't like not knowing where she was.

Finally, giving in to temptation, she questioned Piper: “Where are we?”

“The Grand Canyon,” Piper supplied helpfully, squeezing her hand affectionately.

“How grand,” Thalia mumbled joylessly.

“How canyon-y,” Leo added. “Do you think they have food here?”

Before either of his acquaintances could answer him, one of the other boys walked towards them. He rudely nudged himself between Thalia and Piper, breaking the handhold that Thalia had just been starting to enjoy, and he knocked Leo down.

“Yo, Piper,” he said, giving her what he must have thought to be a charming smile. The bits of chocolate between his pearly molars drastically ruined the image. Even though he didn't have an accent, he wore a pair of hunting boots, blue jeans, and a camouflage hunting jacket. He wore a trucker’s hat over his greased black hair. “Don’t talk to these bottom-feeders. You’re my partner, remember?”

Bottom-feeder? Thalia was no _bottom-feeder_.

Thalia decided that she didn't like him.

“Go away, Dylan,” Piper grumbled. “I don’t want to work with you.”

“That’s no way to be!” the boy argued, although he didn't look the least bit upset. He hooked his arm through hers, and Thalia had to resist the instincts that were telling her to snap the bones of his forearm. “Think of this as your lucky day.”

He dragged her away, but not before she was able to send her friends a helpless glance.

Thalia exhaled through her nose, attempting to calm what she realized was her poorly-suppressed temper. She stretched a hand to Leo, lifting him to his feet swiftly. Leo brushed himself off, muttering under his breath.

“I hate that guy!”

“Dylan, was it?”

“Yeah,” Leo affirmed, thumbing the belt loops of his jeans and releasing a goofy, false chuckle. “I’m Dylan. I act like I’m from Texas, but I’m actually from California. Look at me, I’m so hot. I’m so cool. I wish I could date myself, but since I can’t, I’m just going to force myself on Piper! Isn't she so lucky?”

“You’re a strange one, Valdez.”

“So you tell me.” Leo gave that mischievous grin. “But, seeing as you don’t remember me, I can reuse all of my jokes.” He wagged his eyebrows, and Thalia almost felt like throwing him a pity laugh. “We should probably follow the rest of them. Come on!”

They trailed after the other students, making their gradual way through the building while Coach Hedge stopped every few minutes to ramble on about the tribe that owned the museum.

Thalia just barely heard a girl behind her remark something about Piper. Arching an eyebrow, she briefly glanced over her shoulder to see the devil incarnate. The girl’s face was loaded with enough makeup to last a troupe of rodeo clowns a decade and her clothes looked like they had come straight from a crappy chick flick. She was pretty, but she had a mean sneer. Her friends were all dressed to match their ringleader, which was beyond disturbing.

The lead girl, who had muttered something before, spoke loudly, “Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?”

Her disciples all laughed when she did although most of the girls appeared as if they hadn't gotten the joke.

A subtle red wave traveled the length of Piper’s cheeks, and she was obviously clenching her fists in anger. “My dad’s Cherokee,” she spat. “Not Hualapai. ‘Course, you’d need a few brains cells to know the difference, Isabel.”

Thalia was beginning to understand how she could be dating this girl.

Isabel, not even missing a beat, widening her eyes mockingly. “Oh, sorry. Was your mom in this tribe? Oh, that’s right. You never knew her.”

Piper charged her, but Thalia, with good intentions, stepped in front of her, before Coach Hedge started to say something. Piper seemed to catch herself and realize what she was doing.

“Don't listen to her," Thalia ordered unthinkingly.

Whoa, bossy.

Piper shrugged, reluctantly returning to Dylan’s side. Even though she had avoided confrontation, Thalia could still hear the annoying girls rudely commenting on everything about Piper.

“Thank God your girlfriend stopped you, you savage native.”

“Wouldn't want you to scalp us.”

Thalia finally couldn't take any more of their taunting and started to turn around to scalp them herself. If it wasn't for Leo tugging her to face him, the girls would have been hysterically sobbing over their skinless heads.

“Be cool, man,” Leo advised. “Piper doesn't like for us to fight her battles for her. I know it kills you, but she doesn't like it when you play her protector.”

Thalia had a feeling that protecting was one of the things she did, but she chose not to comment any further.

Once they reached the far end of the hall, they could see huge glass doors that led out onto a terrace.

“All right, cupcakes,” Coach Hedge bellowed. “You’re about to get your only glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, avoid tossing each other over the edge. I don’t feel like doing any more paperwork.”

He opened the doors and allowed the students to step outside. Thalia wished that she could’ve been amazed by the thing, but it wasn't anything spectacular; it was just a giant hole in the ground to her. It was just there. It just was—like Thalia. 

“Man,” Leo said, releasing a loud whistle. “That’s wicked.”

Finally leaning over and feeling a twinge akin to fear, Thalia couldn't share his opinion. The canyon was massive, with a single strip of a river below. They were so high that Thalia could spit on a bird if she wanted to. The place was just jagged rock to her—jagged, threatening, and murderous rock.

Thalia pulled herself from the railing, turning to observe the many faces around her. She could not recall what she looked like, but from the way the others were staring at her, she could tell that she didn't exactly belong. There was something odd about her, and the delinquent teenagers knew that.

Thunder rumbled above, but Thalia barely flinched at the frightening sound. Leo and the rest of the students jumped and began talking hurriedly. A cold, strong wind blew against Thalia’s body, trying yet failing to budge her.

“There is no fucking way this is safe,” Leo muttered, peering up at the sky. “Storm’s right over us, nowhere else. Weird, huh?”

Thalia bravely glanced upwards. A ring of smoky black clouds had accumulated directly above the glassy skywalk, but the rest of the sky above appeared to be clear.

Her nose cringed, her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes narrowed. Nothing about the day was right.

“All right, cupcakes!” Coach Hedge bellowed. “Let’s hurry up and fill out the worksheets. We may have to leave sooner than planned.”

The clouds above shook and released gasps of thunder once more, and it began to make Thalia uneasy.

Unthinkingly, as a means of comfort, she reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out a golden coin. It was no bigger than a half-dollar, but it was definitely older. Its gold was worn but sturdy. It felt heavy in her palm. On one side of the coin was the right profile of a young man with wildly curled hair, wearing a headband with the horn of some animal; on the other side, the inscription magnus alexandros and a long sword. Magnus alexandros. Great Alexander.

…Did she know an Alexander?

“Shit,” Leo whistled. “Is that gold? You been holding out on us, man? Gotta say; kind of always suspected that you were loaded with cash. You have that royal attitude, you know?”

“It was in my pocket,” Thalia answered simply, slipping it back where she had gotten it.

Leo didn't push the subject. He shrugged, smirking a little. “Don’t look now, but that Isabel chick is throwing you mad shade.”

What did that even mean? What language did he and Piper even speak?

She glanced over her shoulder, glaring at him when he nudged her roughly. “What?”

“I said don’t look!”

“I don’t like that they’re looking at me.” Thalia didn't see why she shouldn't meet their gazes head-on, until Isabel and her friends caved submissively.

“Dude, we have to get started on this worksheet,” Leo switched the subject, nervously making eye-contact with the rude girls. Although he didn’t seem too excited about it, he took out a pencil. His brown eyes scanned the piece of printed paper. “Number one: list three examples of erosion.”

“What the fuck is erosion?” Thalia was pretty sure that she hadn't even known that before she lost her memories.

Leo snorted. “Even if you don’t remember anything, you’re still the same, Freckle.” “

Freckle?” Thalia repeated. “My name is Thalia.”

“Oh, right,” the Latino boy responded, frowning. “You don’t remember your nickname. I call you Freckle, ‘cause you've got...well, freckles.”

“I do?”

“You don’t even remember what you look like?”

She stubbornly remained silent. He dug around in his big army jacket before he pulled out a circular object. Flipping open its lid, he surrendered it to her hesitant hands.

Thalia stared into the little mirror, and it took her a moment to realize that she was the brunette peering into it. Leo was right; the freckles ran from cheek to cheek, traveling over the prominent bridge of her aquiline nose.

Her hair was dark black, cropped and messy. It appeared as if it had never been combed. Her eyes were bright and big; they seemed to be a highly noticeable feature of hers. Within those optics, electric blue rings guarded the black sphere of her pupil. She surprised herself by the harshness she could spot. Her expression was unintentionally stern, and her eyes were almost angry as they stared back at her.

She supposed she could have been worse off. Her face was clear of any obvious blemishes, but there were subtle dark circles underneath her eyes. It was apparent to her that she had trouble sleeping often. She didn’t like how worn and stressed her skin looked. Some of her features were too sharp for her taste, too rough. She had to admit, though, that the fierceness of her attributes gave her an edge; it was no wonder why the other kids hadn't directly approached her yet.

Her face itself was one set in stone—statuesque, still, she thought, with the superlative lines and angles of a likeness of one of the ancient Roman statues—like one of the gods they worshipped.

Gods? Where had that come from? How did she know something like that, when she had forgotten everything about herself?

She felt a dull thrumming in her temple and quickly pressed her hand against it. Something struck a chord within her, but it was lost as soon as she had noticed it.

“You okay, man?” Leo asked, cautiously taking back his handy mirror. “Please don’t say you’re going to puke. The one day I don’t bring my camera, something priceless like this happens.”

“No,” Thalia spoke clearly, softly. “It’s just a headache. I’ll be fine.”

Minutes later, Thalia struggled to find answers for the questions on the worksheet. She didn’t understand any of it. She couldn't even read the damn thing. The words and letters were jumbled and unintelligible. Something was seriously wrong with her.

Leo was of no help. He was creating miniature doo-dads, which might have impressed her if she hadn't been so preoccupied with being bewildered by everything.

“Sweet!” the Latino boy exclaimed, watching as some pipe-cleaner helicopter he made sailed into the canyon. “Did you see that?”

Thalia barely glanced up from the worksheet. “Yeah, yeah.” She hummed a little in thought as she scribbled down yet another bullshit answer. “Leo?”

“Uh huh?”

“Are you sure that we’re friends?”

“What do you mean?” he asked her, his bushy brows furrowed.

“Like…are you positive that we’re even friends at all? I don’t remember you. I don’t remember any of this,” she replied, waving her hands around.

She incidentally flung the pencil over the railing, and she flushed in embarrassment as he laughed at her expense.

“You think you just appeared here, and we all have fake memories of you?”

Thalia nodded, but then stopped almost immediately. “Well, yeah, except for that Coach Bush guy.”

“Coach Hedgehog,” Leo provided, cracking a grin. “Get it right, Freckle.”

“Whatever. Don't call me that,” she said. “If we’re such good friends, tell me about myself. Seriously this time. No jokes.”

“You’re a lot meaner than you were—sterner,” he answered, almost looking hurt. “You get in a lot of fights because you don’t like people that act like they’re above you; you kicked ass, but you were usually a pretty easy-going person. That’s why so many of the kids here haven’t said anything to you; they’re scared of you. Uh, you like cheeseburgers…and Piper. If you could find a way to combine the two, you probably would.”

“Who are my parents?”

Her eyes snapped shut as she felt a startling pain reside behind them. Unlike before, she saw a face at the mention of her parents. A blonde woman—tall, disorderly, wobbly—pulled her along as they bustled through an expensive store. It was the only face she saw.

Leo shrugged. “You never talk about them.” He watched as she shakily opened her eyes. “Headache still?”

She nodded. In the distance, she spotted Coach Hedge, leaning against his baseball bat. “Hey, hold this,” she said to Leo, handing him to worksheet. “I’ll be right back.”

Piper wasn't able to meet her gaze as Thalia walked towards Coach Hedge, but Thalia could easily see her discomfort. Dylan was relentlessly hitting on her, touching all over her shoulder.

“I’m probably going to regret this, big time,” Thalia muttered to herself, changing direction to get to the girlfriend she didn’t remember at all. She didn’t know why, but she felt a strange inclination to help these unfamiliar friends of hers—like it was a duty of hers or something.

“Pipes,” she said, coming to stand in between her and Dylan. The boy had the nerve to look affronted as his arm was forced away from Piper’s shoulder. “How’s the worksheet coming along?”

 “It could be going better, honestly.”

Dylan scowled. “Why don’t you go away?”

“I haven’t heard of any law that states I can’t check up on _my_ friend.”

“Girlfriend,” she heard Piper correct under her breath.

Dylan snickered. “All you demigods are the same.”

Demigods? Thalia’s so-called headache came back full-force.

Lightning sprinkled the oily sky, and the brisk wind burst through her jacket, tousled her cropped black hair, and nearly knocked her over. The skywalk shuddered from the sheer force of the storm, and the students of the Wilderness School screeched as they struggled to keep from falling into the steep canyon below.

Hedge screamed over the rush of the wind and lightning. “Everyone inside! Now! Off the skywalk!”


	2. The Son of Vulcan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia, Piper, and Leo are taken to camp by Annabeth, a friendly (enough) daughter of Athena, and Clarisse, a temperamental daughter of Ares. In which Piper clubs Dylan, Clarisse and Thalia bump heads, Leo makes inappropriate comments, and Drew tries to find a new plaything.

The great storm evolved into a miniature hurricane. The students ran for the building as funnel clouds whipped up their hats, notebooks, coats, and even their shoes. Thalia got smacked in the face with a good number of sandals and skidded across the floor.

Leo lost his balance and was about to topple over the glass railing, before Thalia leaped to her feet and grabbed for his jacket. She yanked him back, pushing him towards the exit.

"Thanks, dude," he shouted over the wind, his eyes widened in panic.

Piper and Dylan were holding the huge doors open, ushering the other students inside. Piper's hair flew wildly across her face and even though she should have been terrified, she did not appear to be. Her voice was strong and confident as she reassured the girls who had relentlessly mocked her.

Thalia, Leo, and Coach Hedge rushed to get to the doors as well, but they couldn't seem to run through the wind like the others had. Thalia clenched her fists, wishing the wind would ease up. Wishing didn't seem to work.

Dylan and Piper managed to get one more kid inside before the doors unexplainably closed. Piper pulled the handles of the door as strongly as she could, but she wasn't able to get it to open.

"Dylan, help!" she shouted over the wind.

Dylan backed away, smiling as the wind blew through his mesh jersey. At least someone was able to enjoy the violent storm, Thalia supposed. "Sorry, babe," he remarked. "I'm done helping."

With a flick of his wrist, a gust of air shot Piper backwards into the doors. She bounced off the door, sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Leo yelled.

He and Thalia attempted to move forward to get to her, but Coach Hedge pushed them back. When Thalia felt his hand settle on her abdomen, she unthinkingly grabbed his wrist. She twisted his arm in a series of maneuvers, somehow breaking his fingers and pressing his wrist against his back. Hedge cried out angrily, and it was then that Thalia realized what she had done.

Dylan chortled. "Oh, you're a trained one."

Not knowing what he meant and still shocked at her own actions, Thalia released the Coach's arm and ran for Piper. Despite the force of the wind pushing her back, she made it to the other girl in record time, shooting across the skywalk like a streak of lightning.

"How did you run that fast?" Leo shouted in surprise, but his question went ignored.

"You're going to get it after this, Amnesia Girl! For now, step back. This is my fight, kiddos!" Coach Hedge shouted, holding onto his injured hand. His eyes glared holes into Thalia's back as he watched her support Piper's head. "I should have known that this was our monster!"

"Monster?" Leo repeated, still amazed at the fact that his best friend had just broken Coach Hedge's fingers. "What monster?"

Hedge's hat flew off his head, revealing two—were those horns?—knots on the top of his head. He lifted his club, which had seemingly replaced his menacing baseball bat.

"C'mon, coach!" Dylan shouted with that annoying peppy smile. "Aren't you getting a little too old for this? Let the amnesiac fight me. She'll probably do a better job than you, grandpa!"

"You're going to get it now, punk!" Coach Hedge bleated.

Dylan gestured to Leo, laughing evilly as he was flung over the side of the railing. Leo plunged downwards, latching onto a ledge about fifty-feet below the skywalk.

"Help would be nice!" Leo yelled fearfully.

Coach Hedge grumbled a foreign curse under his breath. Thalia didn't understand it at all. It sounded strange to her, and not just because it was in another language. "I don't know who the hell you are, punk," Hedge spoke to Thalia, tossing down his club. "But you might as well try and break some of _its_ fingers," he pointed to Dylan, "while I save Leo."

"How are you going to do that?" Thalia asked, peering over the side of the railing. "You can fly?"

"Not fly," he answered as if it were a hilarious concept. "Climb." He kicked off his shoes and Thalia had to slap herself in the face to realize she wasn't dreaming. Instead of feet, the coach had the hooves of a goat.

"You're a…you're a faun."

How did she know what a faun was?

Hedge bleated. "A satyr. Fauns are Roman, girl."

Without anything else to say, he vaulted over the railing and glided over to the canyon wall. His hooves impacted with ledge after ledge with surprising agility. Thalia didn't know why, but she pulled the coin from her pocket again. She barely registered Piper reaching for the long-forgotten club.

"What you got there, pretty girl?" Dylan taunted, eyeing Thalia with arrogance. "A coin? So menacing. Let me guess: you're going to tip me?"

"Here's a tip," Piper spoke up, twirling the club. "Duck."

Before he could, she tossed the club through the air. The strong winds carried it along until it roughly impacted with Dylan's head. The monster fell to his knees, golden blood trickling from the new gash in his forehead. "You'll have to do better than that, bitch," Dylan spat.

When Thalia looked away from Piper again, Dylan had completely transformed. His entire body was composed of swirling, dark fog and he had wings that sprouted from his back.

"What are you?" Piper yelled in shock.

"Ventus," Thalia provided although she wasn't sure how she knew that. "A storm spirit."

Dylan laughed loudly, shaking the skywalk as he rose above it. Cracks appeared in the glass and the kids inside backed away fearfully. "I'm glad I waited, half-blood! I've known about Leo and Piper for weeks, but I held off on killing them. My mistress said there would be a third coming, and she was right. My, my, what a prize you are. She'll enjoy your death."

Two additional funnel clouds spiraled down on either side of Dylan, and they formed into venti. Thalia ordered Piper to the ground, and when Piper failed to comply, Thalia pushed her to the ground. When Thalia spun back around, she was greeted with a blast of lightning to the stomach. It flung her backwards, sending her sailing into the doors. She crumbled to the ground, feeling the sparks traveling across her body.

She was energized; she was empowered; she was pissed the fuck off.

Dylan looked surprised when she gradually rose to her feet. "How—?"

Thalia seethed, instinctively flipping her golden coin in the air. She caught it when it came back down, and was only slightly stunned that she was now holding a spear—no, not just a spear; a Roman _hasta_ , completely forged from gold.

"Kill her!" Dylan ordered, backing away.

Coward.

Thalia did a series of flips as lightning was shot at her from the two subordinate venti. They charged for her and while in midair, she spun around and jabbed through one with her spear. It disintegrated instantly. Before the other could retreat, she swiftly disposed of it as well.

Dylan screamed in outrage whenever his partners did not reform. "Impossible! Who are you, demigod?"

"I'm Thalia," she retorted spitefully. "At your service."

Coach Hedge jumped back onto the skywalk, dropping Leo effortlessly. "Spirits, fear me!" he bellowed, flexing his short arms. "Hey, where'd they go?"

"Thalia got rid of them!" Piper exclaimed, having got up from the floor seconds before. She rushed over to Thalia, wrapping her arms tightly around her, relieved that one of her friends had not been hurt by performing a foolish stunt. "That was amazing."

Thalia gently pushed Piper away.

"Shit, kid," Hedge cursed. "You couldn't have left anything for me?"

Leo grumbled. "Listen, Coach Supergoat, I just fucking fell into the Grand Canyon. I'd really appreciate it if you stopped asking for trouble."

Dylan hissed threateningly. "You don't realize how many enemies you have beckoned, half-blood. My mistress will destroy all demigods. This war you cannot win."

Thalia didn't like the way he had said this war—as if there had been one before.

A giant hole opened in the sky above—a vortex of black and silver.

Dylan cackled. "My mistress calls me! And, you, demigod, will come with me!"

He dove for Thalia, but Piper tackled the wind spirit, somehow making physical contact. They all rushed forward to help Piper, but the spirit released a loud screech. Thalia, Hedge, and Leo were all flung several feet. Piper was tossed carelessly with the wind, landing on the opposite side of the rail. She was left hanging by one hand over the canyon. She wouldn't be able to save herself like Leo had.

A scream ripped through her throat as Piper slipped. She went tumbling into the frightful abyss below.

Without hesitance, Thalia ran to the railing, and used one of her capable hands to lift her body above it. She barely registered Leo's yells behind her as she plunged through the open air. It hit her when she was halfway through her fall: she had just leaped into the Grand freaking Canyon for some chick that she didn't even know. And for the love of Caesar, it was such a long way down. She was afraid of heights.

_She was afraid of heights._

Thalia forced herself to focus. There was no time for fear. She could always look back on this memory and tremble about it then.

She tucked her arms in and sailed downwards headfirst. Her skin felt impossibly tight around her bones, but she only concentrated on getting to Piper. Faster than she thought possible, she reached her. Wrapping her arms tightly around her, Thalia clenched her eyes shut. Rather than resignation, confidence filled her. They wouldn't hit the bottom of the canyon. She wouldn't let them.

Piper was wailing frantically in her ears, and Thalia was trying desperately to refrain from telling her to shut up for two measly seconds. The wind died abruptly. Piper quieted, as if shocked into her silence. Thalia knew without opening her eyes that they had been halted in midair. She could sense the inactivity around them.

Finally, her eyelids fluttered open when she felt Piper turning into her embrace. Piper buried her head in the crook of Thalia's neck, tightly gripping her shirt. Thalia, unsure and a tad bit uncomfortable, rested her hand against the nape of Piper's neck.

"We're okay now," she whispered shakily and—she hoped—reassuringly.

"How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Thalia responded honestly. "I don't think it was me. I just thought about how it would be nice if we didn't fall."

Wrong. She had commanded that they wouldn't fall, but Piper didn't need to know that bit of information.

Piper sniffled. "The air is supporting us, isn't it?"

Thalia thought for a moment. "Yes. It is."

"Can you…?"

Thalia realized what the girl was asking and attempted to comply. She thought about the air supporting them higher, lifting them to the skywalk. They shot upwards, and Piper gripped Thalia's shirt even tighter. Thalia felt herself growing nauseous. Air travel definitely wasn't for her.

It was only moments before they landed and the two of them rushed towards their fallen companion. Piper reached him first, turned him over, and examined his ashen face. Leo coughed before opening his eyes. He scowled at the sight of his soaked army jacket. His curly brown hair and his clothes were covered in golden monster dust, and he had a black eye that Piper inspected worriedly.

"Stupid Supergoat," Leo muttered through strings of continuous coughing.

"Where did he go?" Thalia asked—more like demanded—quickly.

Leo pointed straight up. "He never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."

"Twice," Thalia confirmed. She outstretched a hand, pulling Leo to his feet. "How're you feeling?"

"Confused." Leo rubbed the back of his sore head. "What the hell happened, dude? That storm guy, the gold spear thing…I'm hallucinating, is that it? Coach Hedge must've snuck something strange into our lunches or something—just a joke to laugh about at the next P.T.A meeting."

"Afraid not," Thalia responded, eyebrows furrowed, walking over to pick up her discarded spear. She flipped it, watching as it turned back into a coin mid-spin. When it landed back in her palm, she slipped it back into her pocket.

Piper shivered from the cold. Her wet snowboarding jacket was doing little to protect her from the harsh weather. "Thalia…what...how did you...?"

"I wish I could tell you."

Something in the sky caught Leo's attention and he narrowed her eyes. "Uh, sorry to break the news, but we've got more company."

They all looked up to see what appeared to be a flying chariot. The humongous object floated down from the sky and landed on the cracked skywalk with a frightening creak. Thalia was now convinced that she had seen it all. A large chariot being pulled by two winged horses wasn't an everyday sight. Yet, even more surprising than the chariot were the two people that climbed out of it.

One of the teenagers—a tall, caramel-eyed girl with short-cut brown hair—loudly stomped their way. The girl with her seemed to be much friendlier, with calm gray eyes and a curly blonde ponytail. She spoke to the three first.

"Judging by your conditions, I'm going to guess that you're the demigods we're supposed to retrieve," she said straightforwardly.

"Demigods?" Piper asked. She looked to Thalia. "That's what Dylan and Hedge called us."

"Gleeson Hedge," the rough-looking girl spoke for the first time. "He's your protector. Where is he?"

Leo cleared his throat. "He was taken by these tornado things."

"Venti," Thalia supplied without missing a beat.

"Anemoi thuellai," the blonde corrected. "You used their Roman name."

Romans—why did everyone keep bring them up?

"Who are you, and what happened?"

Thalia explained that she had no idea who she was. She gave them her name and told them what had happened on the skywalk just minutes ago. With every word from her mouth, the blonde girl looked more and more distressed. Thalia almost felt sort of bad.

"What do you think, Annabeth?" the brunette beside her gruffly asked.

"This is a lot more complicated than a simple extraction mission," Annabeth answered. She glanced to the skies. "We should get back to Chiron. He needs to know about this."

The other nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"I usually am, my Drakon-Slayer."

"Drakon-Slayer?" Leo repeated, obviously trying not to laugh. "Your parents must have hated you to name you that. Were they metal-heads?"

"It's Clarisse La Rue to _you_ ," the brunette snapped.

Annabeth had a sly little smirk on her face, but she changed the subject. "I know your minds are probably screaming 'stranger danger' right now, but we'd like you to come with us to Camp Half-Blood, a safe place for kids—"

"Ugh, just get in the chariot," Clarisse interrupted, glaring at the three demigods in front of her. She saw Annabeth glaring at her, and quickly softened her eyes. No apology was needed on her part.

"It's fine," Annabeth mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Come with us," she addressed the labeled-demigods. "We promise to explain everything later. But we can't explain here. Not now."

Leo and Piper looked to their memory-lacking friend, as if waiting for her approval. Thalia couldn't see how her opinion could possibly matter; she was the one that didn't have a single clue. Deciding reluctantly to appease them, she followed after the blonde girl, Annabeth, and the threatening Clarisse.

Thirty minutes later, Thalia was standing in the back of the flying chariot alongside her pretend friends. Piper was mushed between her and Leo, but the two were ignoring her many complaints. Clarisse, who had introduced herself as the daughter of Ares, handled the reins, while Annabeth, who had said she was the daughter of Athena and girlfriend to Clarisse, fiddled around with a bronze navigation device.

Thalia had to admit that she was surprised by the news; how could someone as fiery as Clarisse be in love with someone as level-headed as Annabeth?

Speaking of Annabeth and Clarisse, they were demigods. They were all demigods—half-mortal, half-god. Out of the three newbies, Thalia was taking the information the best. For some reason, it hadn't surprised her. Sure; she was the one that had known about her spear, and she was the one who had fought off the spirits, but she would have liked to say that the information was new to her.

But the information was not new. Every word out of their mouths— _you’re all demigods, one of your parents is a god, we're taking you to a safe camp_ —was a bunch of word vomit. Thalia felt that even though she didn’t remember anything, she had been told all of those things in the past.

Piper and Leo looked pretty freaked although they both attempted to mask it as best as they could.

“Tell me about this camp,” Thalia spoke.

She could feel Piper’s curious and sad eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore it. The last thing she needed was to latch onto someone else while she was this vulnerable—clueless and unaware. She was a pretty girl (one of the prettiest Thalia had ever seen, she was sure), but she didn't want to end up hurting anyone. Something was telling her to wait.

“It’s in the east. It’s a haven for kids like us,” Annabeth answered whenever she realized that her girlfriend was too caught up with driving. “The only safe place for half-bloods.”

“Half-blood,” Piper murmured. Thalia was surprised by the bitterness in her voice. “Is that some kind of joke?”

“Hey, yeah,” Leo said, indignant once he had caught on. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Not what you think it does, Leonardo,” Clarisse finally spoke, turning around to glare at the three teenagers. “Don’t raise your voice to my girlfriend like that or I’ll knock your nuts into your brain.”

“Calm down,” Annabeth soothed, rubbing Clarisse’s forearm. “I’ll explain everything to them. You just focus on getting us to camp.”

Seemingly convinced, the daughter of Ares spun back around to face the horizon, her fingers gripping the reins just a little tighter.

Annabeth sighed quietly in relief. “A half-blood is someone who is half-mortal and half-god. You know, like Heracles, Daedalus, and debatably Theseus.”

“Perseus,” Piper added helpfully. “Those guys?”

Annabeth nodded. “That’s right. You’re very smart.”

Piper blushed. “Thank you.”

Thalia glanced over her shoulder and eyed the multiplying storm clouds behind them.

Leo hummed. “So…like Jason?”

Thalia was so stunned that she nearly fell off the chariot. _Jason_. The name electrocuted her—not in a literal, physical sense, but rather mentally. Her brain prodded at her, encouraging her to remember _Jason_. She would’ve tumbled down into Arizona if Leo hadn’t grabbed her by the arm.

Annabeth eyed her suspiciously, but continued to reply to the Latino. “No, Jason wasn’t a demigod. He was a hero, true, but he had no godly blood. He was favored by Hera though.”

“Oh,” Leo said simply.

Piper erupted into laughter. “Come on, you nutbags.”

“What did you just call us?” Clarisse snarled.

“This is obviously some sort of joke,” the smallest girl urged. “Us? Children of the gods? You’ve got to be kidding. You don’t seriously think—”

Clarisse threw the reins to Annabeth, who caught them easily. The daughter of Ares barged right up to Piper and placed her hands on her shoulders, effortlessly lifting the small girl until their eyes were level.

Lighting flashed around them, but none of them seemed to be aware of it.

“Listen here, Ms. Priss,” Clarisse growled. “You’re on a _flying_ chariot, pulled by _flying_ horses, and I personally don’t give a _flying_ fuck if you end up falling out of it. Now, in case you didn’t notice—”

“In case _you_ didn’t notice,” Thalia remarked casually, cutting into the demigoddess’ tirade, “the left wheel is on fire.”

Clarisse instantly stopped, nearly tossing Piper into Leo. She leaned over the edge and raised her eyebrows when she witnessed the white hot flames licking the side of the chariot. Then, she changed her focus to the storm clouds behind them.

“Annabeth, more anemoi!”

Leo cracked a smirk. “This time in horse-form!"

Piper muttered, "This isn't funny."

Annabeth didn’t hesitate to surrender the reins to her girlfriend. “Hold on, guys. This is about to get rough.”

With a flick of the reins, Clarisse sent them spiraling through a wall of white clouds. The pegasi were bullets breaking through the flesh of the sky. Their supersonic speed slowed once they were above a completely different place.

Thalia’s eyes found the steely ocean in the distance, and her pupils traced the forest scenery below them. In a lush green valley, she soon spotted a cluster of buildings, or rather little ancient temples, and a sizable blue mansion. There were many other things to see, but Thalia didn’t exactly get the chance.

The wheels to the chariot plopped off, and they went free-falling into the valley. The horses struggled to support the weight of the five demigods, but they seemed far too tired.

“Aim for the lake, Clarisse,” the daughter of Athena advised, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

“I know what I’m doing, Owl Head!”

“You can’t be seriously talking to me like that,” Annabeth snapped. “You’re always trying to dominate everything. Why can’t you just accept logical, intelligent advice from someone—”

“Oh, I lack logic and intelligence, is that it?”

“Knock it off,” Thalia ordered.

Clarisse released the reins stupidly, poised to punch Thalia in the face.

“Clarisse! Get away from her!” Annabeth screamed. “Gods, you’re always trying to prove something, aren’t you? And I thought I was the one with hubris!”

Hummus? Thalia wasn't sure how the spread had anything to do with crashing a chariot.

 

“Shut up!” Piper shouted commandingly. Everyone ceased talking at her instruction, merely staring at her in shocked silence. “Clarisse, get away from Thalia and grab the reins. Now.” The daughter of Ares did what she said quickly. “Aim for the lake, like your girlfriend told you to do. She’s the child of the Goddess of Wisdom. If you should take anyone’s advice, it should be hers.”

Annabeth looked smug, but quickly wiped it from her face whenever she noticed they were seconds away from hitting the water.

Thalia braced herself, gulping in a breath of glorious air before they plunged into the icy lake. She was submerged for a measly second before some powerful force pitched her out. She landed on her ass on the shore, gasping for breath and freezing cold.

Annabeth, Leo, and Piper followed soon after although they were gently assisted by giggling girls that seemed to dwell in the lake. Thalia almost felt like pouting; no pretty girls had carefully helped _her_ out.

Clarisse was just coming out of the lake, ordering the “damn sons of Hephaestus” to cut the pegasi free.

Thalia unsteadily rose to her feet, disliking the copious amount of lake water in her combat boots. She was blasted in the face by some retro-looking bronze hot-air dispenser, and within seconds she was dry; the water in her boots had vanished. With a little smile, she acknowledged that maybe the camp wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.

Feeling hot in her jacket even though it was incredibly cold outside, Thalia shrugged the leather garment off. Once wet and dried, leather felt uncomfortable.

There were over twenty campers surrounding them, and none of them appeared to be very pleased. One even seemed quite angry—a blonde boy with a quiver on his back—and he stormed over to Annabeth. “I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!” He glanced to Clarisse. “I knew I should’ve known that this would happen, what with her traveling with you and all.”

“Watch your mouth, Solace!"

“Whatever.” He scowled.

“Will, I’m sorry,” Annabeth said sincerely. “I’ll get it fixed. Promise.”

Will sighed, but eventually gave her a small smile. “I know you will.” He scowled again when he observed the new campers. “These are the kids you were sent to retrieve? They’re over thirteen. Why haven’t they been claimed?”

“Claimed?” Leo repeated. Then, jokingly, he added, “No one claims and tames Valdez.”

He went ignored.

An Asian girl stepped forward, wearing the same orange t-shirt and jeans that the other campers were wearing. Even though she should’ve blended in, she did the exact opposite; her beauty made her stand out amongst the crowd of others. Her dark hair was curled perfectly, like Annabeth’s but less natural, and her face was delicate and covered in makeup.

“I hope they’re worth the trouble,” the new girl remarked.

Leo snickered. “Thalia and I haven’t begun to show you trouble, right man?” At Thalia’s confused look, the Latino frowned. “Oh, I forgot. You don’t remember.”

“We allowed you to drag us here, threaten us,” Thalia shot a pointed look to Clarisse, “drop us into a freezing lake, and toss us back out of it. I hardly think it’s us that have causing the trouble.”

“Thalia,” Annabeth said with a sigh. “We’ll answer any questions you have. Just give us time.” She glanced to the Asian girl. “And Drew, all demigods are worth saving.”

Clarisse nodded in agreement, walking up to her girlfriend and placing her arm around her. “If we had the option to pick-and-choose, you definitely wouldn’t be here right now.”

Drew seethed but seemed to be too intimidated by the daughter of Ares to actually reply. She turned harsh, scrutinizing eyes to Piper. “Does your hair always look like a dead badger?”

Piper abruptly stepped forward, about to smack the other girl. Leo prevented her from doing so, wrapping an arm around her waist. “C’mon, diva. Simmer down.”

“I told you not to call me that,” Piper hissed, slapping him on the arm.

“We need to make our new campers feel welcome,” Annabeth said, pointedly glaring at Drew. “We’ll assign them each a guide to give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they’ll be claimed.”

“Would someone please enlighten us?” Piper asked loudly. “What does claimed mean?”

Thalia arched an eyebrow at the sight of the suddenly-there red, holographic image above Leo’s head. It was a hammer surrounded by fire.

"I would say it’s that,” she answered, pointing at it. “You’re the son of Vulcan.”

“Hephaestus,” Annabeth spoke firmly. Her eyes were steely as they settled over Thalia. It was then that the brunette noticed that every eye was on them. “How did you know that?”

Thalia shrugged. “Call it intuition.”

“I’m calling it suspicious,” Annabeth muttered, but did not go unheard. Looking to Leo, she began to explain, “Hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths and fire. He has claimed you.”

“So…you’re saying that this Asbestos guy is my father?”

“Hephaestus,” Piper corrected. “She said Hephaestus.”

“Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.”

Quickly, the image faded away, but Leo kept glancing up as if he expected it to appear again. He reminded Thalia of a little monkey—the way he was jumping and swatting above his head.

“Will,” Annabeth said. “Would you mind taking Leo on a tour? Introducing him to his new cabin-mates?"

“Cabin? What cabin?” Leo asked. “I’m not Vulcan-anything!”

“Come along, Mr. Spock,” the son of Apollo joked good-naturedly. “I’ll explain everything.”

Annabeth’s keen eyes caught sight of something as she turned to stare at Thalia, and she immediately commanded her: “Hold out your arm.”

Thalia glanced down, yielding her right arm out to the daughter of Athena. She saw what the girl was so surprised about—the pale canvas of the tall girl’s skin was marred by the inky image of an eagle. Directly beneath it were the letters SPQR and seven lines—like some sort of barcode, marking her worth.

“That—you didn’t have that before,” Piper muttered.

“I’ve never seen marks like this,” Annabeth said. “Where did you get them?”

“Beats me,” Thalia said. She ran her fingers over it as something in her mind reminded her of a burning pain. “Some sleazy tattoo parlor?”

“No,” Annabeth said with a shake of her head. “The image is far too intricate and permanent. It almost looks like it was burned into your skin.”

The burning pain flashed in Thalia’s mind again, from years previous. “I think they were. I don’t know.”

Everyone suddenly went silent as they rushed to peer at her arm. Thalia didn’t like the special attention, but she tried her best to mask the fact that it was getting to her. Several campers were glancing to Annabeth, as if waiting for her to make a decision.

“Chiron needs to know about this,” the daughter of Athena announced, analyzing the amnesiac like she would a geometric theorem. Her gray eyes then turned to search the crowd. “I need someone to take Thalia to the Big House, while I take care of some things.”

Thalia arched an eyebrow in question when she watched the girl from earlier—Drew—step forward. With a flirty smile, the Asian girl locked their arms and tugged Thalia away from the crowd, and towards the mansion—the place Annabeth had called the _Big House_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments! 
> 
> And to anyone who is wondering, Reyna will (kind of) make an appearance in chapter six.
> 
> There will be a reference to Perico in the next chapter, but chapter ten and onward will feature Percy and Nico in a quest with Thalia. So it might be a while before Perico is somewhat prominent in the story, but hopefully not too long.


	3. Origins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia (sort of) meets her nut-job of a stepmother. And a couple other nut-jobs, too.

 “The Big House,” Drew informed rather cheerfully. “Headquarters here at camp.”

The Big House wasn’t anything impressive. As indicated by its name, it was rather large—four-stories high—and painted a light blue. There was an average porch that wrapped around the structure, littered with rocking chairs and tables. It looked more like a vacation home than a shelter for godlings.

Even though the place seemed friendly enough, it seemed to be warning Thalia. It was eerily silent on the outside of the building, and the weather vane abruptly ceased to twirl on the highest gable, as if her presence had somehow disturbed its routine.

Instinct was telling her to run. It was urging her to pull her arm away from the flirtatious daughter of Aphrodite and flee to the tall, intimidating pine on Half-Blood Hill. But it was also telling her that she didn’t run from anything. She was no coward; she was above fleeing.

Although she felt as if she were walking amongst sworn enemies, she composed her uneasiness with a chilly smirk.

“Not very impressive,” she muttered, making sure that the other girl would be able to hear her casual remark. “Listen, I don’t know about this. I’m not all that crazy about this place.”

“Oh, please,” Drew soothed. “This place is perfect for you. I know a true hero when I see one. I’ve met enough around here. You’ve got the makings, cutie.”

Thalia didn’t remember anything about herself, but she wasn’t sure that she received this much attention from others before. She had seen herself; she wasn’t anything special. So, why was this girl making such a fuss about her?

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, she pulled her arm away from Drew’s.

The daughter of Aphrodite pouted. “Don’t tell me you’re seeing the Thrift-Store Queen.”

“Drew, you’re very pretty,” Thalia admitted, “but a relationship is the last thing on my mind right now.”

Drew acted as if she hadn't heard. “Oh, I’m willing to be right beside you, all the way, sweet thing. I mean…you _are_ really powerful, right? You’re going to be very important here at camp, and I’ll support you along the way.”

Well that answered her previous question. Drew was only showing her attention because she thought Thalia was some kind of big-shot. The daughter of Aphrodite wasn’t really attracted to her.

“Is your dad or mom a god?”

“What?”

“Which one of your parents is a god?” Drew rephrased.

Thalia glanced at her combat boots, pondering over the question. She thought of the image of the blonde woman that had shaken her earlier in the day—the tall figure leading her through a store.

“My father,” she answered mindlessly. “My father’s a god.”

“Is that so?” a voice called from the porch.

Thalia glanced to the person who spoke, only to nearly fall on her ass in surprise. From the waist up, the man was fully human, but below that he had the body of a horse. She had heard of these creatures before, hadn't she?

Centaurs, they were called.

“Chiron!” Drew exclaimed. “This is Thalia. She’s one of the demigods War Bitch and Book Worm retrieved.”

The centaur’s wise brown eyes glowed with suspicion. He didn't bother to reprimand Drew's foul language. “Welcome to camp, Thalia. Please, follow me.”

He trotted to a wheelchair, ordering Drew to return to her cabin. Thalia watched—entranced—as he somehow scrunched his lower half into the mechanism, and a set of fake legs quickly covered him. Chiron now appeared as an average person.

He rolled his way into the Big House, Thalia following obediently behind him. Upon entering, she was both intrigued and bothered.

Grapevines seemed to be growing across the walls, and over small decorative ornaments—masks and such. There was a crackling fireplace, somehow homely and threatening at the same time, and smooth leather couches that looked as if they had never been touched.

Thalia heard a loud snarl and glanced up at the fireplace. A moving leopard’s head barred its teeth at her and she retreated behind Chiron.

“Now, Seymour,” the centaur spoke, lecturing the bodiless creature. “Thalia here is a friend. Behave yourself, or you’ll go without supper.”

“Please tell me that’s some kind of robot,” Thalia begged. “You guys are some kind of engineering camp, yeah?”

“You must excuse the décor,” Chiron said, amused. “Our old camp director did all of this before he left to Mount Olympus. I suppose he wanted us to remember him. He has a strange sense of humor.”

“Your old director?”

“Yes, the God of Wine.”

“Bacchus?” Thalia asked unthinkingly.

Chiron stared at her, not even the slightest bit appalled, and replied, “Bacchus is his Roman form, yes. Here, we Greeks know him as Dionysus.”

“Why does everyone keep bringing them up?”

“Greeks, my dear?”

“No,” she said simultaneously with a shake of her head. “Romans.”

Chiron did not answer directly. He motioned for the girl to sit on the couches, and when she did he forced a smile. “Would you mind telling me where you are from?”

“I don’t know,” she responded, irritation leaking through her words.

She was getting tired of not knowing—of having to tell her story over and over again until these _Greeks_ got the information they seemed to need. Nevertheless, she ended up telling the whole thing to Chiron. Maybe he could be the one to finally give her the answers she wanted.

“What are your questions?” Chiron inquired once the story was over.

“What’s the deal with this place?”

“Pardon?”

“That girl—Annabeth—was confused by _this_ ,” Thalia enunciated, pointing to the tattoo on her forearm. “The weathervane outside stopped spinning to point directly at me, and that leopard _still_ looks like he wants to tear my face off. Which reminds me, it’s super creepy that you actually named it _Seymour_.”

“You’re very different, Thalia.”

“Yeah, I sort of got that. I’m a demigod, right?”

“Yes, but that isn’t what I meant,” Chiron said, meeting her gaze. “You’re very different from the campers here.” He turned his eyes to the fire. “You say you don’t remember anything?”

“Nothing.”

Chiron appeared to be displeased. Well, it was a party of freaking two.

“Before you lost your memory, you most likely knew you were a demigod,” the centaur said eventually. “Were you claimed?”

There was something different about the way he spoke, but Thalia understood it perfectly and responded before she realized what was happening. “ _Fortasse_.”

Chiron scowled. “It’s just as I believed.”

Thalia uncomfortably shifted her boots against the soft carpet.

 “You speak Latin,” the centaur replied, obviously trying to keep his voice level. “Most demigods are able to recognize a few phrases, but their brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek. None can speak it fluently without practice.”

Thalia wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“You are unlike any hero I have taught before,” Chiron said. “Your presence here could be a disaster.”

“How inspiring,” Thalia spoke mordantly. “Any other tips you can give me, oh great teacher?”

“I am sorry, but I only tell the truth.” The centaur actually looked sincere, so she felt slightly bad for her response to him. “I had hoped that after Percy had saved Olympus, we might have some peace. I am beginning to suspect that I was terribly mistaken. The worst is yet to come.”

“Who’s Percy?” was the only question Thalia could bring herself to ask.

“That would be me.” A tall boy appeared in the doorway and reluctantly made his way to the leather couch, sitting down next to Thalia. “Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon,” he introduced himself. “You can think of me as the Head Pawn of the Gods. You must be the one everyone is making a fuss about.”

“That’s great,” she muttered under her breath.  Then, speaking louder, she said, “I’m Thalia.”

“Percy, my boy, not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” Chiron asked.

“Annabeth is busy, Rachel is nowhere to be found, Clarisse doesn't even feel like trying to beat me up, and Nico had to visit a relative or something,” the demigod said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. “I have nothing else to do, so I thought I’d check out the new campers. I couldn't find the other two, and Drew told me the cutest one was in here.” He turned his sea-green eyes to her. “Oh, by the way, she says hi.”

“Wow,” Thalia scoffed. “She’s persistent.”

“You have _no_ idea,” Percy agreed. “She followed me around for weeks after she first got to camp. Nico finally flipped out on her and threatened to ban her soul to Tartarus, and that was enough to get her to back off.”

Thalia almost felt pity. Almost. Was there more to Drew than just a hollow, arrogant shell?

“Can I borrow that Nico friend of yours?”

Percy laughed, throwing his head back. “Sorry, dude. I don’t share.”

Chiron cut into their light and airy conversation. “While it is lovely that the two of you are getting along, I’d like to return to our previous, _private_ discussion.”

“Oh, I get it,” Percy said, feigning offence. “You said private like that because you want me to leave.”

“Yes,” Chiron responded simply, truthfully.

“But—”

Percy abruptly stopped talking. Thalia glanced to him, confused to see that he seemed as if he had been frozen. She realized then that she no longer heard the crackling of embers or the snarling of the leopard.

“Chiron, what—” she began to ask, but stopped once she saw that the centaur was unresponsive in every sense of the word.

“What the actual fuck?” she wondered aloud. She leaped from the couch, fully alert, and rolled her trusty coin around in her palm. “What’s going on?”

_Thalia,_ someone rasped.

Seymour’s mouth, though immobile, was pried open by some strong force, and out curled a violet current of mist. The purple fog took the form of a tall woman, covered in black robes and a goatskin cloak. Her face was hidden beneath a dark hood, but her eyes glowed beneath—challenging, bold.

_Would you attack the goddess that vouched for you ten summers ago? That saved you from certain death when you were a mere child?_ the woman inquired with a certain maternal disappointment in her tone. _Place Magnus back into your pocket. We have much to discuss in just a short time._

“What—?”

_Sit down._

Thalia immediately plopped down onto the couch. There was something about this woman—something that she recognized. Something dangerous.

_This very well might be the last time we speak. My prison only grows stronger and stronger by the hour. I have managed to bring you here, but I am afraid that my power is wearing down._

“Look, lady. I don’t know you. You must have me mistaken for someone else. Maybe you were influenced by the Mist thing like Piper and Leo were.”

_You know me,_ the woman insisted. _You are mine. I am your patron._

“I don’t remember you. I can’t.”

_It was necessary to take your memories from you,_ the misty form reasoned. _You see, I have owned you and your brother from birth. I was wary about using you instead of Jason—he’s a lot more respectful of the gods—but you fit the part._

“Jason? My brother?” Thalia asked numbly, feeling her head begin to throb painfully. Then she realized something that the woman had said. “Wait… _you_ are the one that took my memory?”

_Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory._

Thalia laughed dryly, incredulously. “Are _you_ threatening _me_?” She stood, suddenly commanding and larger than life. “You know what? Keep my fucking memory. I’d rather let you rot in that prison anyway.”

_You wish to fail your father? You wish to shame the Legion once more?_

For some reason, the jibes had bothered Thalia. She froze, her blue eyes bravely meeting those glowing spheres of black.

The smirk dissolved from Thalia’s face, and the woman took her silence as resignation.

_You have until sunset on the solstice, Thalia. Four short days. Do not fail me. Do not fail your people._

The woman dissipated into a cloud of mist and flew back through the leopard’s gaping mouth.

“Crazy bitch.”

In an instant, everything was back into motion. Seymour began to cough; the flames of the fireplace licked at the brick structure.

Percy was finishing his sentence: “I’ll keep everything a secret. You’re always letting Annabeth barge in on your little interrogations! Why can’t I?”

“Percy,” Chiron began to say, and then noticed Thalia’s stance. “How did you stand up so fast? My gods, you were just sitting down a second ago.”

“Time froze,” Thalia answered as if it were the simplest concept in the world. She looked to Chiron. “I guess that’s not very common around here.”

“Unless you’re battling Kronos,” she heard Percy mutter.

“What do you mean, dear?” Chiron answered, concerned. “How did time freeze?”

“Some misty woman flew out of Seymour’s mouth,” the leopard snarled and snapped its teeth, “and told me a bunch of weird shit. She said she was my patron and saved me when I was young or something. She says that she is imprisoned and needs me to return the favor and free her.”

Chiron hummed. “That explains a lot.” Percy and Thalia fixed him with blank stares. “We will talk about this shortly. First, we must—”

The door to the Big House slammed open. A flash of blonde hair flew into the room before Thalia found herself on the floor. Percy was knocked off as well, and they landed on their backs side-by-side. They groaned in pain simultaneously.

“What the fuck was that about?” Thalia grumbled, leaning up on her elbows. When she saw Piper passed out on the couch where she had just been sitting, supported by a pretty redheaded girl, Thalia leapt to her feet. “What happened to her?”

Annabeth was standing beside the redhead and the unconscious Piper. She quickly helped Percy to his feet. “Sorry about that, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy rubbed his sore butt. “Yeah, yeah. Sure you are.”

“Can we please focus on the girl who I may or may not have been killed earlier?”  the redhead asked loudly, tears streaming down her face.

“Killed?” Thalia repeated, her eyes searching the girl’s face. “What do you mean _killed_?”

“Like made her heart stop beating?” Percy asked bluntly, as if he was trying to be helpful. He failed.

Thalia threw him a seething glare. “Shut up.”

“I was just trying to help!” the son of Poseidon argued.

“Stop it!” the redhead yelled. “Just…stop it!” Silence filled the room—even Annabeth and Chiron abruptly stopped whispering to one another. “Annabeth, please get me a med kit.” The daughter of Athena hurried to comply. “Percy, new kid, reposition Piper so that she’s lying flat on her back.”

Thalia reluctantly did what she said. “It’s not new kid.”

The redhead sighed, but sent her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little freaked out right now.” She outstretched a hand. “Rachel Elizabeth Dare, at your service. I’m the Oracle.”

Thalia’s strawberry-tinted lips twitched into a smile. “Thalia.”

Percy grunted. “Stop with the flirting. We have a possible dead person on our hands.”

“Right,” Thalia said, clapping her hands sharply. “So…what do we do?”

The son of Poseidon contemplated the question for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t know.”

Rachel pressed her fingers against Piper’s neck and sighed in relief. “She’s still breathing. I think she’s just out of it.”

“You got us riled up for nothing?” Percy asked.

Chiron rolled his wheelchair over to the couch. He pressed a hand to her forehead and scowled. “She’s in a very fragile mental state. This is extremely serious, my boy.”

The son of Poseidon sobered up and turned to Rachel. “What happened? Explain it to us.”

“I’m not even sure myself. I had a strange urge to go to Hera’s cabin and when I did, Piper and Annabeth showed up. We talked for a while, and then I just blacked out. Annabeth said I spoke with a weird voice—it wasn’t the spirit of Delphi either. Some power was trying to speak through me.”

Annabeth finally rushed back into the room, toting a leather satchel. She opened it up hurriedly, handing a vial of something to Chiron. “What happened back there—Chiron, it was unexplainable. I’ve never seen anything like it. One moment we were all just fine, and then Rachel starting speaking in an old woman’s voice and—”

“Annabeth, dear, it’s quite all right,” Chiron assured. “Do you remember what she said?”

“She grabbed Rachel by the shoulders and she said—”

“To free her?” Thalia guessed. She smirked, wiping a strand of hair from Piper’s heated forehead. “Seems we have a common visitor, Pipes.”

“How did you know that?” Annabeth asked.

For the second time, Thalia repeated her tale about the misty woman. Chiron sprinkled some substance from the vial into Piper’s slack-jawed mouth.

The son of Poseidon was the first to speak after the story. “So, she’s your patron? Is that your parent?”

“No,” Annabeth answered for her.

“My father’s a god,” Thalia added. “Not my mother.”

Rachel hummed thoughtfully, still eyeing Piper in concern. “So, this lady, what does she want? Besides to be freed, I mean. Why you?”

“She said she vouched for me once and saved me. She mentioned someone—a brother of mine. She wanted to use him, but she went for me instead. After robbing me of my memories, she expects me to return the favor of her saving me all those years ago.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “There’s only one goddess that manipulative—”

“Dear,” the centaur interrupted. “Let’s not get Thalia even more confused. We’ll take everything as it comes.”

Rachel gasped. “Chiron. That woman—she was Hera, wasn’t she? I was in her cabin, I spoke with her voice. She appeared to Jason at the same time.”

“Hera?” Annabeth’s snarl was a lot more frightening than Seymour’s. “I knew it. She’s up to playing her games again. She did this to Piper.”

“That’s why she had a goatskin cloak,” Thalia realized aloud. “The symbol of Juno.”

Percy scrunched his nose. “I just imagined Hera as a goat—not a pretty sight. And that’s a symbol—”

Chiron nodded. “Of Juno, yes, in her most warlike state. It was the symbol of a Roman soldier.”

“Hera is imprisoned then?” Rachel wondered. “She needs heroes to free her?”

“She needs me to,” Thalia said. “And Piper?”

“No,” Annabeth said with a stern shake of her head. “She wasn’t telling Piper to free her. Her exact words were: ‘two half-bloods will free me’.”

“So, two campers then?” Percy asked, his eyebrows scrunching together. “Not three?”

Chiron frowned. “This is bad, children. Very bad. But you have broken the three-camper rule before. I’m sure that’s the least of our concerns.”

“What do you figure is our biggest concern?” the daughter of Athena asked.

“In many ways, Hera is the glue that holds the Olympian Council together. If she is truly imprisoned and in danger of destruction, it could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. Hera has asked Thalia for help, and I am inclined to permit it.”

“Are you even going to ask me how I feel about this?” Thalia asked bluntly. At the blank stare from Chiron and Annabeth and the smirk from Percy, she sighed. “No? Okay. Just checking.”

Percy stared into the fire. “We’re all pawns here, Thalia.”

“Don’t say that,” Annabeth lectured halfheartedly. “As heroes, we are the gods’ connection to the mortal world. They need us to do their will. It is against the ancient laws for them to interfere directly. Hera can’t be saved by the Olympians—she has to be saved by a hero.”

“The fates of heroes are intertwined with the gods,” Rachel elaborated. “Right?”

“Right,” the daughter of Athena affirmed.

“We do what they wish, and we don’t pitch fits,” Percy said sarcastically. He looked at Thalia. “That’s the way it has always worked.”

“You sound bitter,” Thalia noted.

“Not bitter,” the son of Poseidon said, sighing. “Just tired.”

Chiron cleared his throat. “Percy, my boy, why don’t you show Thalia around? Give her a little tour before dinner.” He caught Thalia’s gaze on Piper. “She will be fine. Annabeth, Rachel and I will take good care of her. Try and enjoy yourself.”

_While you still can,_ he seemed to be saying.

Thalia followed the son of Poseidon outside. They walked alongside in silence. It wasn’t until they passed the large arena that Percy dared to say anything.

“If you couldn't tell, I’m not a very good tour guide,” the son of Poseidon joked.

Thalia shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m pretty sure that I already know what everything is anyway. Well, except those randomly-scattered buildings.”

“Ah, the cabins, you mean.”

“Cabins?”

“At first, camp only had twelve cabins—one for each of the Olympian gods. After the Second Titan War, Annabeth designed more and we constructed them for some of the minor gods, too.”

“What purpose do they serve?”

“They house the children of whatever god they represent.”

“Cabin Three—who’s in there?”

“That’s Poseidon’s cabin,” Percy stated proudly.

“You then?”

He nodded. “I’m the only demigod son of Poseidon so it can get pretty lonely. Sometimes my brother Tyson visits.”

“I thought you were the only one?”

“Oh, Tyson’s a Cyclops,” he said. “That’s different.”

Thalia arched an eyebrow, clearly not understanding. “Uh huh.”

“So is it true?” he inquired randomly after a few moments of silence.

“Is what true?” she asked sharply.

“When we were in there, you said that you had your memories taken from you. Is it true? You really don’t remember anything?”

“Certain things pop up in my head, but I usually can’t make sense of them. Chiron says I’m different.”

“Different?”

“Different.”

He rolled his eyes. “I was looking for something more specific.”

Thalia glanced to her boots. “That’s as specific as I get.”

“Do you want to know why I asked about your memory?”

“Sure,” she said. “Hit me.”

“Don’t tempt me.” He ignored her glare. “I want to take you to Cabin Fifteen—the one that looks like an old prairie house. It’s Hypnos’ cabin, the god of sleep. He could help us figure out your memory loss.”

Thalia was surprised. He just wanted to help her like that?

“Thanks,” she said eventually.

“No problem,” Percy said sincerely. “Of course, I can’t sit here and pretend that it was all my idea. Annabeth suggested it to me before I went into the Big House. She thinks it might help you.”

Without further ado, Percy and Thalia stepped into Cabin Fifteen. The first thing she noticed upon entering was the slowly-crackling fireplace (she half-expected it to freeze abruptly); then she realized that there were three slumbering demigods. It was already late in the day, so these kids were either early-sleepers or eternal-sleepers. She figured it was the latter; they _were_ children of the god of sleep.

The sound of softly-played violins filled the air, and the entire cabin was cozy and warm; it was practically willing Thalia to close her eyes. She fought the urge, somehow stopping herself from collapsing onto one of the incredibly soft beds.

Percy smoothly walked over to the nearest kid. He shook his shoulder with enough force to nudge him. “Clovis, man, get up.” When the boy failed to budge, Percy shook him with even more force. “Clovis!”

Thalia stepped forward. “Here, let me.” She grabbed him roughly by the nose and applied enough pressure to arouse a groan from him. When he was otherwise unresponsive, she yelled in his ear, “Clovis!”

The boy grumbled, pulling away from her hand and finally opening his sore eyes. “Who are you? And why did you wake me up?”

“We need your help,” Percy said, moving until he was directly beside the demigoddess. “This is Thalia.”

Clovis merely narrowed his eyes and yawned. “Yeah, yeah. Going back to sleep now.”

“I don’t think so,” Percy muttered, yanking the boy’s pillow off of the bed. Clovis protested weakly. “First, we need your help. Then you can go back to sleep, and I promise that we’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine,” Clovis sighed, somehow pulling himself out of the warm bed. “What do you need help with?”

Percy briefly explained Thalia’s memory problem. Clovis nodded along with every word, miraculously alert. The son of Hypnos eventually turned to Thalia and regarded her directly.

“Do you know how you lost your memories?”

Thalia nodded solemnly. “Ju—Hera took them from me.”

“All right,” Clovis muttered. “Not too sure that this will work, but close your eyes.”

With an encouraging nudge from Percy, she reluctantly did so. At first nothing seemed to be happening but then she felt herself retreating—slowly pulling away from consciousness. The next thing she was aware of was the feel of a wooden chair. Thalia saw a flash of colors beneath her closed eyelids and she warily opened them. The fire danced patiently in front of her. Percy and Clovis were hunched in front of her, discussing something.

“—never seen anything like it,” Clovis was saying. “Usually, memories lurk just beneath the surface. That’s the case with most instances of memory loss. Thalia has no memories at all—they’ve vanished.”

“She wasn’t kidding when she said she took my memories,” the demigoddess grumbled, eyes half-closed.

“Clovis is saying she literately stole them from you,” the son of Poseidon provided rather unhelpfully. “He can’t bring them back for you.”

“I know that already, Kelp Head.” He looked shocked at the nickname. “Juno took them from me—”

“Juno?” Clovis asked, scratching the back of his head.

“She means Hera,” Percy replied. “Juno is the Roman name.”

Clovis hummed thoughtfully.

“What?” the son of Poseidon asked. “Is that important or something?”

“Could be.”

“They’re the same gods, aren't they? The Ancient Romans just gave them different names.” Percy was obviously still confused about the whole Roman concept. Thalia couldn't lie; she was, too. She wasn't sure who she was more curious about—the Romans or the Greeks.

“Not exactly,” Clovis disagreed. “Some of the gods are only Roman—Janus, Pompona. But even with the original Greek gods, more than their names changed.”

“What do you mean?” Thalia asked, leaning forward in her comfy seat. “What else changed?”

“Oh, the way they appeared, their attributes, sometimes even what they stood for,” Clovis answered smoothly. “And especially, their personalities changed.”

“So, like, they changed to reflect the culture of the places they were in?” Percy asked hesitantly. “The whole Western Civilization thing?”

“And people say you’re clueless,” Clovis said with a light snort. “That’s exactly it. Nowadays, the gods are all about American trends—suits, fast-food, reality television, all that junk. While they were in Rome, they melted into that culture. They became sterner, more assertive and warlike—the gods of a powerful, militaristic empire. They refrained from affairs of the mortal world. Roman gods have little in common with the Greek ones we know and love to irritate.”

“Roman gods were mean, then,” Percy stated bluntly.

“And more responsible and honorable,” Thalia added before she could stop herself. “They valued moral strength and victory. They were virtuous.”

She felt an urge to protect the reputation and legacy of the Roman Empire—a personal urge. She had to stand up for Rome.

“All of those things are true,” the son of Hypnos admitted reluctantly. “But Percy is also right. They were far from friendly. The Greek gods are merciful and oftentimes rather lazy but their Roman counterparts were brutish and unforgiving.”

The son of Poseidon nodded. “We should tell Chiron at the fire,” he suggested to Thalia. “Maybe he’ll make better sense of this Greek-Roman talk.”

“Sure,” Thalia mumbled sourly. “We’ll do that.”

Clovis stretched his arms out in front of him and released a hearty yawn.  “Can I go back to sleep now?”

The two demigods left the cabin in silence, leaving Clovis to drool all over his fluffy pillow.

Percy cracked a smile. “I had no idea the Romans were to stern and boring. I’m starting to appreciate my origins.”

Thalia scowled, offended. “I’m starting to realize mine.”


	4. Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia receives a prophecy and finds herself charmed by two girls, literally.

The campfire was even worse than Thalia had expected. Kids were dancing merrily, playing lyres and strumming guitars—and, ye gods, they were _singing_. To top things off, she had somehow found herself wedged uncomfortably between Clarisse, who was annoyingly grunting in response to her girlfriend’s inquiries, and Percy, who was urging her to sing along.

Trying to find anything to distract herself from the awkward event, Thalia scanned the faces of the other campers. They were all piled onto the steps of the amphitheater, each seemingly divided into their own section. Banners indicated the parent of the demigods, she suspected.

Above Clarisse was a red banner with the image of an angry boar on it; the other children of Ares stayed close to her, but far enough away from Annabeth. Speaking of Annabeth, she wasn’t sitting with her siblings, strangely enough. She was snuggled up to her girlfriend, whom she seemed to be lecturing. Clarisse clearly wasn’t listening, but she continued to nod every few moments.

 Leo was in a section close-by, sitting underneath a banner emblazoned with a hammer. The majority of the kids that were playing instruments came from the area marked by a flying golden canvas with an emblem of the sun.

There were several other banners—probably at least twenty—but Thalia no longer felt like looking at them. Instead her eyes were drawn to a figure beginning to enter the area—Piper. She smiled slightly, noticing the anxious and timid expression the other girl wore. Catching her attention, Thalia waved her over.

“Percy, scoot over,” Thalia instructed, making room for Piper to sit down. “Make room.”

“Gladly,” the son of Poseidon chirped with a friendly smile. Once Piper sat down, he shook her hand. “I’m Percy Jackson. It’s nice to meet you.”

The Native American girl returned his gesture. “Likewise.” She looked to Thalia, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m guessing you two already met?”

Thalia was able to nod before Chiron made his presence known. “Very nice! And a special welcome to our new campers. I am Chiron, Director of Camp Half-Blood. Firstly, before we do anything else, we have some important matters to discuss.”

“What’s this all about?” someone called out boldly.

“A new academic course?”

“Better instruments?”

“A spa room?”

“Killing people?” one of Clarisse’s siblings asked excitedly.

“No, no, no, and definitely _no_ ,” the centaur replied quickly. “Annabeth, dear, if you will.”

The daughter of Athena reluctantly pulled away from Clarisse and stood. “Chiron is proposing a new quest.”

“A quest?” Drew called out. “What do we need a quest for?” She scanned the stunned faces of her siblings, as if expecting their support. “There’s no prophecy or anything, is there?”

All eyes turned to Chiron, except those of an electric blue. Thalia was gazing into the tall and colorfully blazing fire, feeling a memory prick at her brain.

_“One of us is the hero of Octavian’s recent prophecy, Thalia. We are the only living children of Jupiter.”_

_She and a blonde boy were in a tent, both dressed in battle wear—combat boots and pants, and golden armor, with silk purple capes and swords on their hips. Personally, Thalia thought they both looked dorky as hell._

_“Don’t you think I realized that, Jason?”_

_“You can’t go alone. You won’t be the child of the prophecy. I won’t let it be you.”_

_“This is not negotiable. I’m eldest.”_

_Jason angrily knocked an artifact from its place on the wooden desk. “By seven fucking minutes!”_

_“Don’t do this, Jase.”_

_He blocked the exit of the tent, crossing his arms firmly over his chest. “Give me your word.”_

_“What good would that do?”_

_“Give me your word,” he repeated through gritted teeth. “Swear on the head of our father that you won’t go.”_

_Thalia crossed her fingers—the action was unnoticed by her brother. “I swear.”_

_“On the head of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.”_

_She kept her fingers crossed even tighter. “On the head of Jupiter.”_

“Thalia,” Piper called to her, shaking her from her flashback. “You look pale. What’s wrong? Is everything all right?”

“My—my head,” Thalia excused although it was clear that Piper was not buying the fib. “It’s just a headache.”

Now, what was Chiron saying again?

“A major problem has arisen,” he announced. “This calls for a quest, as you all know. Hera, Queen of the Gods, has been taken.”

Hushed chatter swept through the amphitheater. The flames of the campfire burned purple—the same shade as her ripped, smoked shirt. The same shade her cape had been in that flashback. Who the hell wore capes anymore?

“Hera has spoken through me in order to talk to Piper,” Rachel stated. The demigods shrank slightly from the sight of her, as if she had some sort of power over them.  “She appeared from smoke to talk to Thalia.”

“Thalia,” Annabeth said suddenly, and then she paused. “Wait. Do you remember your last name?”

_Grace_ , something told her.

And so she answered: “Grace.”

One snort sounded, and then followed several others.

She narrowed her icy blue eyes, scanning the faces of the campers. “What?” she barked out. “What’s so funny?”

“Thalia Grace?” Percy asked. “As in, Thalia the Grace?”

She finally got the joke but she still didn’t find it very funny.

“Why does she get the quest?” a boy directly behind Clarisse bellowed. “I’ve been here for two years, and I still haven’t gotten one!”

“Yes, Mark,” Chiron said reluctantly. “Well, the time will come for that later. Thalia has been asked by the goddess herself.”

“But she hasn’t even been claimed!”

“Oh, she has. Long ago,” the centaur disagreed, turning to look at Thalia. “Dear, perhaps a demonstration?”

“A demonstration of what?” the demigoddess asked, nearly fidgeting. She already knew who her father was, if that flashback had been any indication at all.

“You must embrace your lineage,” Chiron advised with a knowing smile. “And others around you will as well.”

What did that even mean? Adults tried way too hard to sound philosophical.

“Show them your spear,” Piper suggested quietly.

 It wasn’t quietly enough. Drew overheard and commented something about how she’d like to see Thalia’s spear anytime. Even though her innuendo was really pointless, her sisters giggled along with her.

If Drew ever saw her _spear_ , it would be protruding from her chest cavity.

Thalia decided to be a good person and calmly dug the coin from her pocket. Smiling a little at the sight of it, she flipped it into the air. When it landed into her hands, she wasn’t surprised to see that it wasn’t her hasta.

The golden recurve bow fit perfectly in her hands. She had to admit, she liked it a bit more than the spear. It wasn’t for close combat but it gave her more range and it seemed more her style. Immediately, she experimentally pulled on the bowstring, as if to nock an arrow, and noticed a foggy black arrow shimmer into existence. It was sparking and didn’t seem to be real. She freed one of her hands and prodded the arrow, but her finger went directly through it. She wasn’t quite sure how _that_ was possible, but she chose not to question it.

Annabeth’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you say that you had a spear?”

“Looks like I have both,” Thalia murmured approvingly. She pulled back the string again experimentally, discovering that it was pretty strong. She had the feeling that she practiced a hell of a lot before she lost her memory. “Nice.”

Clarisse sat up even straighter, her eyes glinting with something that Thalia could finally appreciate—a warrior’s admiration.

“It’s a recurve bow, so it’s swift,” Clarisse said approvingly. “And it can materialize arrows, like the Epirus Bow. The important question is—can you shoot it?”

“Try it out,” Piper encouraged. Her sudden outburst caused a few critical eyes to turn to her but she ignored them easily. “See if you’re any good at archery.”

With a speed that rivaled that of a lightning bolt, Thalia swiftly nocked another nearly transparent arrow. Before she could even blink, she had released the string and the arrow shot an impossible distance away, embedding itself halfway through the arena wall. Sparks danced across the slightly-bent shaft, shocking poor passersby and causing them to yelp in startled pain. Within moments, the arrow dissipated in the air, the only trace of its impact being the sizable damage to the wall of the arena.

“Whoa,” the blonde boy from earlier—Will—stood and gazed in awe at the arrow. “How did it go through the wall? Your arrow was sparking! And that has to be over two-thousand feet.”

“One thousand seven hundred and fifty four, actually,” Thalia corrected and then blinked in surprise. She sat back down, calming slightly whenever Piper placed a soothing hand on her forearm. “Wow.”

“How did you…?” Will let the question hang in the stunned silence.

Chiron cleared his throat. “Well, I think we all know who your father is.”

“Apollo?” Will called hopefully, still eyeing the bow like it was his father’s gift to earth.

“No,” Clarisse disputed, eyeing her with a sense of familiarity. “I’ve seen speed and agility like that before.” She looked to Percy meaningfully. “Her skills are more honed than those of the average demigod.”

Annabeth nodded along, obviously having already been pretty much convinced of Thalia’s unique parentage.

“I remembered something earlier,” she mumbled just loud enough for Chiron to hear.  She turned slightly cold eyes to him. “So it’s true then? I’m not a Greek, am I?”

Piper gradually slipped her hand to her bicep.

Chiron shifted his stance. “No, my dear.”

“What?” Clarisse asked knowingly, crossing her arms over her chest. “What is it you remembered?”

“I am Thalia,” she said. “Daughter of Jupiter. Lord of the Skies.”

“Jupiter?” Annabeth asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Chiron sighed but swiveled his head to view all of the campers. His wise eyes settled on Thalia lastly and they bore into her. “It is true. We welcome you, Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zeus.”

Thalia heard a light whistle and mutterings.

“Hotshot.”

“That makes her like royalty, right?”

“She certainly looks the part.”

“Gotta get me some of _that_.”

Even though children of the other gods had made their own statements, most of the comments had naturally come from Drew and her siblings. Piper seemed to notice that too, and so she tightened her grip on Thalia’s bicep.

Hurried whispers rushed back and forth. Percy stood up, somehow silencing everyone. He seemed to hold some kind of weight in camp. “Zeus? She’s a daughter of the Big Three? Why didn’t we know about her sooner? What about the Great Prophecy?”

The daughter of Athena nodded as if she suddenly understood everything about the situation. Thalia honestly wouldn’t doubt it if she did know.

“If you’re truly Roman, the prophecy didn’t apply where you’re from, did it?” Annabeth asked thoughtfully. “It was about any Greek children of the Big Three.”

“There _was_ a prophecy about my brother and me,” the daughter of Jupiter admitted, feeling the throbbing pain in her temple again. She closed her eyes tightly. “I don’t remember it but I have a bad feeling about it—like it didn’t turn out so good.”

“Let bygones be bygones,” Rachel commented with a dismissive wave of her hand. “That’s not important right now. You’re here, and you have a quest to fulfill. And that, my friend, calls for a prophecy.”

With a close of her eyes, she swooned. Two campers—Clarisse and some brunette boy—rushed forward to catch her. Another camper, with fiery hair and with the physique of string cheese, fetched a three-legged bronze stool to place underneath Rachel. The motions were routine, as if they were all used to this happening.

Her eyelids fluttered open as soon as she was placed on the stool, and emerald smoke billowed from her lips and eye sockets. Her raspy words were spoken with a sort of lisp.

_Child of lightning, beware the earth_

_The giants’ revenge your choice might birth_

_Heroes to break the cage or admit defeat_

_A new future unleashed through a queen’s retreat_

Rachel collapsed, but her attendants were already prepared and carried her over to a corner to rest.

“Is that normal? Are her prophecies always like that? With the smoke and everything?”

Thalia looked to Piper when she spoke. She thought it had been a fair question, but Drew snorted in contempt.

“What are you? Dense?” the daughter of Aphrodite snapped. “Have you never seen the Oracle give a prophecy—?”

“Of course not,” Thalia answered before she could finish. She kept her expression calm. “We haven’t exactly been here before, you know.”

Drew had the decency to blush. “Oh, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah,” Piper said with a scoff. “We got that.”

“Shut up, you walking bag of trash.”

“Drew,” Annabeth snapped. “Lay off of her.  We have a quest to talk about, so kindly shut your mouth.”

“So giants, huh?” Percy asked, attempting to quell the argument. “Sounds interesting.”

Annabeth nodded grimly. “I wouldn’t say interesting, but it’s definitely something to worry about.”

“Later, my dear,” Chiron urged.

“A queen’s retreat,” Clarisse recalled. “Has Hera ever been one to retreat?”

Percy snorted. “She’s always breathing down Zeus’ neck about shit—” Thunder rumbled. The son of Poseidon rolled his eyes. “Sorry, not sorry.”

He was sassy. Thalia was almost starting to like him.

Or starting to dislike him. She couldn’t be quite sure yet.

“How do we even know that we can trust Hera?” Annabeth asked heatedly. “After that bullshit that she pulled with the labyrinth, I’m not too eager to do anything for her.”

“I don’t have much of a choice,” Thalia commented dryly. “Hera has something of mine, and I want it back. I’m not going to get anything if I just sit around on my ass. Besides, it’s not like she doesn’t need to be saved. She’s the Queen of Olympus.”

Nyssa, a girl from the Hephaestus cabin, stood up and scratched the back of her neck. “You should listen to Annabeth, though. Hera is vengeful and cruel, especially to the children of her husband. She manipulated Heracles into killing his family. She threw our father off of Mount Olympus just because he was ugly.”

“Real ugly,” a boy from the Aphrodite cabin commented unhelpfully.

“Shut it,” Nyssa snarled. “We’ve heard quite enough from your cabin.”

“Agreed,” Piper muttered.

Drew heard her and glared, but Leo’s laugh cut through her angry response.

“What the hell is strong enough to capture Hera?” Nyssa spoke again. “And what’s all that crap about having to beware the earth?”

“Hippies gone wild?” Percy guessed unhelpfully. “Attack of the tree huggers?”

“It’s Thalia’s quest,” Annabeth reminded with a tired sigh. “She’s the child of lightning. According to tradition, she can bring two companions along with her.” She turned her eyes to Thalia. “Who’s it going to be?”

Connor Stoll, as he introduced himself, stood and gestured towards the daughter of Athena. “Well, you, obviously, Annabeth.”

Annabeth fiddled with her fingers uneasily. “I’m not the biggest fan of Hera; actually, to be rather blunt, I hate her with a burning passion. But if you need me to go, I’ll be rather inclined to say yes.”

Piper smiled, tugging on the end of Thalia’s jacket to grab her attention. “I’m here for you, you know.”

“Ugh,” Drew groaned. “Just hearing your voice makes me sick, Dumpster Girl.”

Thalia didn’t know why but she couldn’t stop herself from speaking up. “Her name is Piper, and she has a lovely voice.”

“Whatever her name is, sweetie,” Drew purred, “is irrelevant. You’re sensible—you obviously want me to go on the quest with you. I have my charm. I can be very persuasive. I can assure you that I can be of some use.” She gave a saucy wink that more than hinted at what she was implying.

“We all know what services you could provide,” Nyssa remarked cleverly. “And that isn’t what she needs. She needs to save the Queen of the Gods, and that’s it.”

Piper seemed pleased but, as Thalia was starting to learn, she wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. “If you think _my_ girlfriend would like to go on a quest with you, then you have another thing coming, you shallow cunt."

“Piper!” Annabeth exclaimed.

Everyone else laughed unabashedly, throwing their heads back in disbelief. Clarisse was the loudest, clutching at her muscled abdomen.  Even though everyone was still rather grim, it was nice to get everyone laughing. It made the entire fiasco remarkably lighter.

“Damn, girl,” the daughter of Ares said, something akin to pride in her expression. “You’re a little spitfire, aren’t ya?”

Drew seethed. “Just you wait, Garbage Queen—”

“I choose Percy,” the daughter of Jupiter interrupted. Everyone fell silent again. The laughter abruptly ceased. Apparently, that had not been a fair thing to say.

“You—you can’t ask that,” the son of Poseidon said shakily. It was the most disturbed that she had seen him. “Look, Thalia, I’m sorry. I’m out of the questing business. I gave up on that after the war.”

Thalia deflated but she didn’t let it show. If she couldn’t bring Percy, who could she bring? Her eyes drifted to Piper again. She had never seen the other girl fight but she had seen her stand up for herself. If that puppy could bite as fiercely as it barked, then Piper would make for one formidable opponent. Right then and there she made a decision that she hoped she wouldn’t regret.\

“I choose Piper.”

Even though Drew looked peeved, crossing her arms over her bust angrily, no one debated her decision. She could get used to that.

“Good choice,” Annabeth approved with a smile. “She’s very clever.”

Clarisse snickered, crossing her muscular arms. “Has a healthy bit of fight in her, too.”

“Who else, dear?” Chiron asked patiently.

Leo popped into her head but she felt guilt rise in her.

Thalia honestly didn’t feel right about asking Piper and Leo to accompany her—they were extremely new to the entire demigod concept. She had hoped that they could stay behind and adapt. On the other hand, a part of her—a larger part of her—wanted them to go with her. She felt like she had earned their trust, and they hers, and she could depend on them.

“They’ll need a means of air or water transport,” Nyssa pointed out. “If the prophecy says to beware the earth, I’m guessing land travel is out of the question.”

Thalia was thankful for the change of subject.

Annabeth looked to Chiron. “Air transport is our best bet. We shouldn’t risk water transport—Thalia is a daughter of Zeus. Poseidon wouldn’t take kindly to her being in his domain.”

Percy glanced at his shoes, almost looking ashamed.

 “I’m sure my cabin can figure something out,” Nyssa said.  “As senior camper, I’m obligated to volunteer for the quest. As a rule, we typically don’t allow day-old campers to go on quests.”

Even though her words didn't carry much weight to them, she sounded rather concerned.

“There have been exceptions,” Chiron replied, looking pointedly to Percy and Thalia. “Sometimes it is necessary for a new camper to go on a quest. According to tradition, Thalia is allowed to pick whoever she wants, regardless of their expertise.”

“It’s me,” Leo stated with finality, nodding slightly at Nyssa. Several of his siblings attempted to argue, but he quieted them immediately. “I know it’s me. It has to be. I already have a solution to our transportation problem. Please. Just let me try.”

Thalia bit her bottom lip in thought, looking away from Leo’s pleading gaze. Was choosing Leo the right way to go? She didn’t want to drag her forgotten friends into this and have something bad happen to them. But they had been through so much with her so far. She decided it would be shameful to just neglect that. These were her friends—whether she truly knew them or not, they remembered _her_.

“I suppose it would get rather boring without you around to crack jokes at everything,” the daughter of Jupiter remarked thoughtfully, unable to keep the smirk off of her face whenever Leo threw his fist into the air enthusiastically.

“It’ll be dangerous,” Nyssa warned. Her eyes turned completely to Leo. “There will be hardships—moments where you have to fight for your life, go days without sleep or nourishment. It’s unlikely that any of you will return alive.”

Leo’s expression dropped and his fist landed back at his side. When he remembered that everyone was watching him, he smiled and shrugged. “Awesome! Starvation will be a piece of cake. Hah! Get it? Piece of cake? Because we won’t have any?”

Finally, as if pushed to a certain insufferable extent, Drew brought herself strongly to her feet and huffed. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on, Thalia. What does this filthy girl have to offer you? Maybe her stench and horrific hair will scare the monsters away.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” Piper snapped, growing red in the cheeks. “I don’t even know you, and you’re being a huge bitch.”

“My _problem_ is none of your concern, honey,” Drew snarled, her words dripping with unconcealed venom. “I wasn’t talking to you.” Then, almost instantly, her expression cleared of any malice. She smiled sweetly over at Thalia, gradually sauntering over to her.

The daughter of Jupiter arched an eyebrow in suspicion, but allowed the girl to approach her. Drew straddled her hips, running a hand through cropped, curly black hair. “Take me…on the quest with you,” she persuasively suggested, running a finger over Thalia’s plump red lips. “You know I’ll be better than Sacajawea over there.”

Despite her true intentions, Thalia began to believe that maybe she had made a mistake in choosing Piper. Drew was obviously better. Drew had been at camp longer. She was probably going to be a better survivalist than Piper.

But did Drew have to be so mean? And why did Thalia suddenly want to choose Drew over Piper? Piper had been the one that helped her through most of the day. She had whacked Dylan in the head with Hedge’s club. She could provide much more assistance than Drew, couldn’t she?

Unable to say much else, Thalia muttered, “Sacajawea helped in the exploration of the West. She was a terrific guide. You just complimented Piper.”

Drew gritted her teeth, fighting to maintain her innocent look. “I can do more than guide. Take _me._ Choose _me_.”

“Okay,” Thalia conceded unthinkingly.

Drew smiled triumphantly, climbing off of Thalia.

“No!” Piper shouted, her voice sounding much stronger than it usually was. “I’m supposed to go.”

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, tilting her head to the side. “You’re supposed to go,” she repeated. Then, more strongly, “I chose Piper. I am not taking you on the quest, Drew.”

“Oh, yes you are!” Drew argued.

“Okay,” Thalia responded meekly in confusion.

“Thalia, don’t listen to her!” Piper commanded. “She’s—well, I’m not sure what she’s doing, but I’m the one that’s supposed to go on this quest. I can feel it. _Trust me._ I’m the one that Hera spoke to, remember?”

“Girls,” Chiron broke into the conversation, his eyes glazed over. Thalia looked around and noticed that every camper, with the exception of Piper and Drew, seemed to be conflicted and dazed. “That’s quite enough. Thalia, we don’t mean to rush you. You can decide in the morning, if you wish. Just know that you will be expected to leave early tomorrow.”

* * *

Thalia dreamt of her brother. The two of them were small—maybe seven or eight years of age. Their clothes were tattered and stained with blood but the two of them were smiling excitedly. They were running from something, it appeared, and the loud barks that sounded through the air sent a warm tingle down her spine.

They ran straight into a courtyard, where a strange beast awaited them. The she-wolf towered over the children of Jupiter but she didn’t appear to be threatening them. Gray wolves finally burst through the doorways after them, coming to a screech behind the twins.

The blood red she-wolf cackled, her silver eyes glinting. Thalia wasn’t sure how she recognized the laughter, but something instinctually told her what the creature was doing. Even though it released snarls and barks, she could decipher what it was saying to her as well.

_Very good, young pups,_ the she-wolf said. _You learn fast for two humans. I haven’t seen that kind of aptitude since Romulus and Remus._

Suddenly, the vision shifted. Thalia was in the same location, with the same wolves, but she was her current age and Jason was nowhere to be found.

_You must find your way back,_ the she-wolf informed.

“Back? Back where?”

The creature snarled. _Back to your throne._ _Things are falling apart in your absence. Rome needs its third consul. Your brother needs you._

“Jason?” she asked numbly, feeling a slight twitch in her chest. Her little brother needed her. “I—I don’t even remember much. Where’s my throne? What are you talking about?”

_You expect my help? You expect my sympathy?_ Its lips curled in disgust. _What has become of you, my little Romulus? Conquer or die. You know this is our way._

“Mother Lupa,” Thalia addressed the wolf, the title slipping off of her tongue before she could ponder it. “Do not perceive my ignorance as weakness. I can still fight. I am still strong. I am still the daughter of Jupiter.”

_You speak the truth, little one. But with each passing day, Rome grows weaker. As does our sacred place. The house of the wolf. She has plagued our home. Come and cleanse it._

“She? You mean Juno?”

Lupa bared her teeth. _Juno has been trapped here. I care nothing for her wellbeing, but I fear what might transpire if her enemy succeeds. Squash this abomination before it has the chance to return._

“Can you at least tell me more about myself?”

Lupa’s lips curled into a strange smirk. Thalia had the feeling that she had been on the receiving end of that look plenty of times. _Why, you’re the Lion of New Rome. Do not fail, courageous little lion._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do let me know your thoughts!
> 
> (and I can't take credit for the idea of the Epirus Bow; I re-watched the Immortals recently)
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments!


	5. Without Further Adieu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia, Piper, and Leo visit Boreas.

“Thalia!”

The daughter of Jupiter—or was it Zeus now?—sat up abruptly, her slumber disturbed. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, peering in dazed confusion at the open door of Cabin One. Huddled in a makeshift alcove, hidden from the sight of the Hippie Zeus in the center of the cabin, Thalia was out of direct view. She made her presence known, grunting in acknowledgment at the cry of her name.

Piper came into view, but she was…different.

Thalia sat completely up this time, her back rim-rod straight. Her head impacted with the tiny stone shelter above her and she cursed.

Piper tried to hide her laugh but was failing. “Oh, careful there.”

Thalia grumbled to herself. “What happened to you?”

Piper was nothing short of gorgeous. She had always been, but now her beauty was highlighted by natural makeup and a pretty white dress that presented an uncharacteristic display of cleavage. Her hair was perfectly styled and she looked almost nothing like the Piper that Thalia had come to know.

Thalia didn’t like it.

The shorter girl scowled. “After you left the campfire, when Chiron placed me in Hermes’ Cabin, my mother claimed me. I know I should feel thankful or whatever but it was so mortifying.”

Thalia smirked. “Sounds like it. I’d hate to be in a dress.”

“It gets worse,” Piper promised in frustration. “My mother is…”

“Someone bad?”

“Aphrodite.”

“So…is that a bad thing?"

"What do you think?"

"So what?" Thalia responded carelessly. "I'm sure everyone feels that way when they're first claimed."

"Bet you didn't, Princess of the Universe."

The daughter of Jupiter frowned. “Wait…who let you in here?”

“Are we supposed to get permission?” Piper asked, her eyes wide. “Why do I always end up breaking rules?”

Thalia shrugged. “It’s a talent.” She then bit her lip in thought, shifting her feet uncomfortably. She didn’t like how their interactions—their entire _friendship_ —seemed so fake to her. “Listen, about the quest...”

“You know who you want to take now?” Piper asked, slightly hesitant to speak. “Drew and I both already packed our things—well, whatever Mitchell and Lacy could scrape up for me.”

“You really think I’d pick her?” Thalia inquired with an arched black brow. “She’s mean to everyone, and I don’t know her. I’m not too sure I know you either, but after you risked your life against Dylan, I think it’s safe to say you’re at least on my team.”

Piper’s lips twitched downwards as if she were pained. When she began to say something, the door to the cabin swung open.

Annabeth appeared in the doorway. She was panting from exertion. “Come quick.”

“What happened?” Thalia asked, pulling on her leather jacket and slipping on her boots, stunned to see more company.

“Your elf friend tried to show us his method of transportation.”

* * *

“That’s a dragon.”

It was all Thalia could think to say, staring blankly at the giant bronze automaton. It had to be at least sixty-feet-long. It was fully equipped with drill-bit teeth (great for munching on helpless demigods) and glowing, haunting red eyes.

Leo grinned at her and sent her a thumbs-up. “You said I could go if I got you a ride, man,” he said with a smile, slapping her shoulder with a grease-coated hand. “Well, here it is. I fixed him up, attached his wings, and flew him here. Say hello to Festus!”

He named it?

Piper gave him a what-the-fuck look, and Thalia had a feeling that she was unintentionally doing the same.

Thankfully, the crowd of demigods from earlier had fled. They were all shocked and frightened whenever they spotted Leo on top of the bronze automaton, grinning like a madman. A team of archers had gathered together, nocking their arrows, but thankfully Leo had convinced them not to shoot. Now, for the most part, campers were staying away and minding their own business.

“You want us to ride a dragon to—wait, we never decided where we’re going,” Piper realized. She looked to Thalia, as if she suspected the amnesiac to know.

Annabeth frowned. “I was on my way to tell you the information but the dragon seemed like the bigger priority. I’m assuming that you chose Piper to go with you?”

Thalia nodded and tightened her hold on her backpack strap. Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron had already taken it upon themselves to pack for her, ensuring she had the necessities—clothes, extra boots, food provisions, ambrosia, nectar, and some other odds and ends.

“It would be best to follow the monsters,” the daughter of Athena continued. “The storm spirits, more specifically. I would ask a wind god about them. Check their patterns, find out where they’re headed.”

“So, we’re going to see Aeolus?” Piper asked, shivering in her loose windbreaker. “He’s the God of Wind, right?”

Annabeth looked like she had swallowed something sour. “I wouldn’t suggest him. He’s unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I would try one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for him. Maybe Boreas, the North Wind—he has dealt with the most heroes.”

“That’s helpful and all,” Thalia said, “but that doesn’t tell me where to find him. Do we just head north until some dude with wings shows up?”

“No,” Annabeth said, amused. “He’s not hard to find. He moved to North America like all of the other gods, so naturally he picked the oldest northern settlement.”

Oldest settlement? Uh…

“Jamestown?”

That was somewhere in history, right?

Piper smiled sympathetically. “In the north, Thalia.”

The daughter of Jupiter frowned, slightly miffed. “Then where the hell is Jamestown?”

“Virginia,” Annabeth informed kindly. “It’s a nice place. You should visit. Anyway, think farther north.”

“Canada,” the daughter of Aphrodite supplied. “Quebec?”

“She _is_ clever.” Annabeth smiled. “Yes, you’re going to Quebec. Hope you packed warmly enough.”

Chiron abruptly excused himself, asking for a moment with Thalia alone. The two of them stepped a little off to the side, out of earshot of the others.

“What’s up?” Thalia questioned casually, attempting to blow a lock of hair out of her eyes.

“What’s that on your wrist?” he asked, pointing to her left arm.

Thalia stopped uselessly blowing up her forehead and glanced down in confusion. Oh, the bracelet! She had almost forgotten—scratch that, she _had_ forgotten about that. As it turned out, she had forgotten plenty of things.

“I don’t know,” she answered, holding her arm up for inspection. “Maybe I just like bracelets. It’s been there since I woke up on the bus.”

Chiron shook his head, pursing his lips. “It has to mean something. Lady Hera would not have allowed you to keep it if it didn’t serve a specific purpose.”

“Beats me.”

Chiron smiled patiently. “Good luck on your quest. I must go now—things to do, arrows to pull from flesh, demigods to soothe.”

“Later,” she dismissed herself, walking back to Piper, Leo, and Annabeth.

“Well, I already picked up supplies in the…uh, in the woods,” Leo was stating. “I’m all ready to go. What about you two?”

Piper nodded, tucking a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear. She had taken it out of its braid, but it still looked beautiful and rich and totally overdone.

Thalia sighed. “I don’t know—”

“You should go,” Percy said, walking up behind Annabeth. “You only have three days. Believe me, you need to milk your time for what it’s worth, and you shouldn’t keep Happy the Dragon here waiting very long. Go.”

The daughter of Jupiter nodded, mustering up a small smile for Percy and Annabeth. “Goodbye.”

“See you when you get back,” Percy said half-heartedly, and his message was clear.

She might not come back.

* * *

Riding on a bronze, fire-breathing, mechanical dragon was not Thalia’s idea of fun. Her _slight_ fear of heights at the Grand Canyon seemed petty, but now she could sense more than just that minuscule fear. She was absolutely terrified. What if they fell? Could she rationalize quickly enough to stop their fall, or would she completely freak out and shut off?

“You’re tense,” Piper said from in front of her.

“It’s nothing,” the daughter of Jupiter excused, but the quiver in her voice couldn’t go unheard. “We’re just…a little high up, is all.”

“Thalia,” Piper began softly, “are you afraid of heights?”

Leo laughed in surprise. “What? Dude, how can you be afraid of something that you can control?”

“Don’t mock me,” Thalia warned. “I don’t appreciate your humor in this.”

"C’mon, Wonder Girl,” he said lightly. “I’m just kidding you. Not making fun of you, I promise.”

Piper reached back and nudged her. “And you say you’re not sensitive.”

“I am _not_ sensitive,” she argued. “I am quick to anger. There is a difference.”

“And if you look to your left,” Leo said with a fake-announcer voice, breaking their tense line of conversation. “You’ll see what I believe is Connecticut. Goodbye, good Connecticut.”

“We’re traveling that quickly?” Piper asked, stunned. “Awesome.”

“It’s more than awesome!” Leo replied.

Silence settled over them for a long while. Thalia stared out at the clouds, willing herself not to look down. To her, being in mid-air should’ve felt like a casual stroll in the park; it shouldn’t feel so terrifying. But she couldn’t keep herself from shaking slightly at the thought of falling.

Her fingers were clinging to the clinks in Festus’ exterior but it wasn’t completely secure. There was no guarantee that the wind wouldn’t just blow her right off.

Against her prideful nature, she sought security in the only way she could think to; she wrapped her arms around Piper’s waist, tightening around her so much it should’ve been painful for the smaller girl, but the daughter of Aphrodite just leaned more into her.

Shit, what was she doing? She couldn’t afford for Piper to get the wrong idea but who else was she supposed to cling to? It would be just plain awkward if she clung to Leo; at least she and Piper had some kind of fake relationship going on, so it wouldn’t be too disturbing.

Besides, Piper was warm and Thalia was freezing up in her leather jacket.

_Stop trying to justify what you’re doing,_ she scolded herself. _You’re just playing with her pretty little head._

“So, dude,” the son of Hephaestus broke into her internal lecture. “What’s the plan?”

“You heard Annabeth. We’re going to talk to Boreas,” she called over the wind. “Find out where the storm spirits have gone, follow them, and then bust Hera out.”

“You want us to find Dylan and follow him?” Leo asked, incredulous. “Oh, okay. Cool. It’s not like he threw me into the Grand Canyon or anything.”

 “He’s a monster,” Thalia reasoned. “It would be weird if he didn’t do that.”

“I guess you’re right. Anything else we should know?”

It crossed her mind to tell them about Lupa but she didn’t. She felt like that was something sacred to her, and she didn’t want to tell them about the she-wolf.

“What do you make of the prophecy?” Piper questioned next. “Giant’s revenge—what’s that all about?”

Thalia gave her a blank look. “Giants. It’s about giants.”

Leo snorted. “I’m worried about the fact that it’s plural, as in more than one giant. Why can’t just one giant want revenge?”

“In mythology, I remember reading about an army of giants,” Piper said rather depressingly.

“Great,” Leo muttered.

“After the Titans lost the First Titan War, the giants waged another war on Olympus,” Thalia recalled. “And then the gods defeated them—that could be why they want revenge. I can’t think of any other reason.”

Piper stiffened. “Your memory seems to be improving.”

“Unexpectedly,” the daughter of Jupiter agreed.

“Do you know anything else, either of you?” Leo asked. “Piper, didn’t you do some research for that movie your father was in?”

“Your father is an actor?” Thalia questioned randomly, and for some reason his occupation bothered her—like she knew someone who was in the same business. “Sorry,” she apologized quickly. “That doesn’t matter.”

“These giants were huge, and almost impossible to kill,” Piper continued their previous question, unfazed. “I think they were related to the Titans, actually. If we’re dealing with the same giants—”

“We are,” Thalia affirmed, narrowing her eyes at the snowy horizon. “I’m sure of it.”

“Whew,” the son of Hephaestus let out a strong breath of air. “Giants. Evil tornado dudes. Boring wind gods. Maybe now isn’t the time to bring up my psycho babysitter.”

At the questioning looks, he relayed parts of his past to them. He said he once had a babysitter, who was really Hera, who had appeared to him at Camp Half-Blood. He told them about all the fucked up things she did.

“That’s the Queen of the Gods for you,” Thalia said dismissively.

Leo went on to tell them the depressing story of how his mother died; her machine shop collapsed, he said, and she was unable to get out in time.

Thalia didn’t speak for a long time—she wasn’t sure what to say.

The subject of his mother’s death stirred new feelings within her, feelings that she wasn’t so sure she was okay with. For the first time since losing her memory, she started to seriously wonder about her mother. She had a flashback of her, so she knew she was blonde. That was the only thing she knew. Where was her mother? Would she be missing her? Was she stuck at home, wondering where her little girl had run off to?

Piper was the first to break the awkward silence. “I didn’t know that, Leo. It’s disturbing that Hera was your babysitter.”

“Disturbing is right,” Leo agreed. “What I don’t get is why we’re saving her. Everyone says not to trust her. Why would they send us to save someone they don’t trust?”

“She chose me,” Thalia replied with a grimace. “Unfortunately, I’m obligated to save her.”

“Why?” Piper asked curiously. “In the myths, Hera always hated children of Zeus and the feeling was mutual.”

“She has something of mine and I want it back. Something tells me she won’t give it back if I just ignore her plea for help.”

Piper swallowed roughly. “Right. Your memory. Of course you’d want your memory back.”

Leo failed to stifle a yawn.

“Need to catch up on some z’s?” Piper asked. “I’ll make sure you don’t fall off. Promise.”

The son of Hephaestus, too tired to respond, nodded softly. He rested his head on Festus and drifted off within seconds.

Thalia stretched. “You know, sleep sounds like a really good idea.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Piper smiled incredulously. “You had more sleep than any of us. You’re staying awake with me.”

Thalia dozed off anyway, and she could barely hear Piper’s displeased grumbles as Morpheus welcomed her.

She was soon up again, awoken by a scream. Where had it come from?

From the way her friends were glancing back at her, she would have to assume that the unnatural sound had come from her.

But that wasn’t true. Thalia didn’t scream.

Then she realized that it had been Piper. The daughter of Aphrodite instantly broke into laughter at the look on Thalia’s face. “I screamed when I felt your drool on my back.”

Blinking her eyes sleepily, Thalia bitterly mumbled back, “I don’t drool.”

“Guys,” Leo caught their attention. “We’re here.”

The city was old but it had a certain likeable quality—maybe it was _because_ it looked old, antique in a sort of artistic way. Snow mostly filled their vision, but Thalia could easily make out a large building, which was actually closer to being some sort of castle. It had impressive red brick walls and a square tower with a green gabled roof.

“Welcome to Santa’s workshop,” Leo quipped, releasing an exaggerated breath. “This kind of castle definitely suits a god.”

“It’s a hotel,” Piper corrected, pointing to the bustling business below as they neared it.

“What?” Leo replied sharply, aghast. “Why would a freaking _god_ stay at a hotel? Out of all the possible places—”

“Leo, duck!”

The three of them ducked their heads just as two purple-winged figures swooped towards them. One of them attempted to grasp Thalia, placing their hands under her arms. She held on firmly to Piper, who held on firmly to Leo, who held on firmly to Festus’ neck.

Thalia easily elbowed her assailant, causing him to release her and spin out in the wind. He flew back, this time landing in front of them, placing his hands saucily on his hips. The daughter of Jupiter almost laughed at the sight of him. He was a total pepperoni face, and he was dressed like he should be attending a Def Leppard concert, with his too-tight jeans and Joe Dirt mullet.

Another flying bastard swooped down, halting sloppily close to the other. They were brothers, Thalia could tell, but they definitely had a lot of differences.

The newly arrived wing-dude was bulky and threatening, dressed as some kind of wannabe hockey player. He only had three teeth—yeah, she counted—and they were all in the very front. How he hadn’t yet managed to knock those out, she had no clue.

The two drew their swords, holding them either too strongly or too flimsily.

“Trespassing,” the hockey player grunted.

“I’m sorry, All Mighty King of Quebec City; we weren’t aware of that,” Thalia snapped sarcastically. “Please forgive us and get the hell out of our way before I—”

Leo cleared his throat, fighting off a grin. “What Thalia here means to say is—”

Joe Dirt attempted to smirk, but he just came off as looking extremely constipated and disturbed. “No, it’s radical, dude. She’s feisty.”

With his fake French accent, it was really hard not to laugh at him.

Thalia clenched her jaw. “Who the hell are you?”

“Cal,” the gap-toothed angel replied gruffly.

Joe Dirt sighed, picking at his nails as if he were deeply ashamed. “His name is Calais. Sadly, my brother can only pronounce words that have two or less syllables.”

Which reminded Thalia, it only took two to say _fuck off_.

Cal looked awfully proud of himself, pointing to his brother. “And this is Zethes.”

Leo laughed, clapping his hands slowly. “Hey, nice job, fella.”

Cal nearly beamed.

Zethes grumbled. “They make fun of you, fool. But no matter.” He looked to Piper, winking –or rather, Thalia imagined he _would_ be winking if he hadn’t done it with his entire face. “Perhaps you would like to join a famous demigod for a lovely meal before we kill you all?”

And Thalia thought _she_ was horrible with talking to attractive girls.

Five minutes and some useful charmspeaking later, they found themselves inside of Boreas’ home, which looked more like a frozen-over mansion at the moment. There were staircases and hallways leading in nearly every direction, and the ceiling hung extensively high over their heads.

The Boreads—sons of Boreas, naturally—forced Leo to push a nifty button on Festus, which instantly caused the dragon to transform into a bronze roll-along suitcase. Then Cal and Zethes began to yell things about smelling fire on Leo and threatened him with their weapons.

Thalia couldn’t let that happen. When she noticed miniature icicles begin to form on the collar of Leo’s shirt, where a blade was aimed, she commanded them to stop. “We mean no harm. We are not your enemies. Leo is a son of Hephaestus. I suggest you stop threatening him.”

“Who are you?” Cal drew out slowly and with difficulty.

Thalia squared her shoulders defensively. “I am Thalia, Daughter of Zeus.”

“Zeus?” Zethes exclaimed. “Oh, but you are not Thalia. Not _our_ Thalia.”

“ _Your_ Thalia?”

Zethes waved his hand dismissively. “Okay, so we’ve only met her once or twice, but she totally has the hots for me. She’s one of the Muses, and I myself am a huge fan of music.”

“Destroy?” Cal asked, tilting his bulky head like a curious puppy.

Zethes shook his head. “No. If she is the daughter of Zeus, she could be the one we’ve been watching for.”

Thalia felt a chill down her spine but it had nothing to do with any fear.

“She is,” a voice—cold and unforgiving like winter in Antarctica—washed over her. “Father would like to see her. Immediately.”

A turn of Thalia’s head confirmed that the deadly voice belonged to a pale dark-haired girl. She was dressed in a simple white silk chiton but she looked like some kind of model. Thalia wasn’t attracted to her in the least though; for one, every word from her mouth conveyed some kind of bitter attitude, and for another, she was giving her some wicked bad vibes.

“You,” she addressed, looking to Leo in distaste. “You stay behind. Fire is not welcome among ice.”

Thalia and Piper tried to argue for him to accompany them, but Leo raised a hand calmly and offered a smile. “It’s fine, dudes. It’s not a problem. I’ll stay behind.”

The girls followed Her Royal Bitchiness up the icy staircase, Zethes positioned behind them with a drawn sword.

The ice princess kept glancing back at Thalia and smiling coldly. The daughter of Jupiter couldn’t help but wonder how the goddess—which she so obviously was—could keep looking back without slipping and falling on her prissy ass.

They followed her through a massive hallway, still hearing the continuous squeak of Zethes’ snakeskin boots.

Thalia allowed herself to actually think—something she was never particularly fond of doing. Thinking led to indecision, and indecision led to death. If you thought something over, you’d be killed. You had to act from instinct, not from logical planning.

Still though, she just _had_ to think a few things over.

Like her brother, Jason. Did he know she was gone? Were they close? Was there someone out there looking for her? The two of them looked almost nothing alike. He had blonde hair; hers was black. She was darker than him and had freckles. She looked more like their father, which led her to believe that he resembled their mother, whoever she was.

The only thing she could tell that they had in common were their eyes—electric blue and always sparking, both literally and figuratively.

Ever since she had that flashback about him, she could recall a few things about him. He was confident in his abilities, just like she was. They were both overly confident, in fact. Because of that, she got the feeling that they fought it out often. And there was something about a stapler that she remembered—he liked _eating_ them? If that wasn’t metal, she didn’t know what was.

But she got a strange chill whenever she thought of him; it was almost like there was something bad about him that she didn’t want to know—like they had fought right before she disappeared or something. It had to have been a horrible fight. She had a sinking feeling in her chest when she found that she could imagine his disappointed face, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed.

It was almost as if it were Jupiter himself, scolding her and fixing those no-nonsense eyes on her, much like the Hippie Zeus back at camp.

She shook the feeling off, bringing herself abruptly back to reality.

They had stopped. They stood in front of a set of oaken doors, carved with a map of the world. The princess turned to face them, her eyes immediately finding Thalia’s. Her fingers lifted to trace the subtle vein in Thalia’s neck, chilling her blood and—she was positive of it—slowing down her heart.

“I do hope he spares this one,” the princess commented, her voice almost a hiss as it cut through the frozen air. She was talking to Zethes but then she addressed the daughter of Jupiter directly. “Be on your best behavior, Thalia Grace. My father can be a bit…chilly.”

Puns. She found those funny, didn’t she?

“I will translate for you, do not fret, hero,” the girl assured, her brown eyes glittering in the bluish glow from the lights above them. “As long as you’re a good girl, you might get out of this alive.”

“You haven’t told us who you are,” Piper realized, obviously frustrated by something.

The princess scoffed. “I am Khione, the goddess of snow. See, that’s the problem with heroes—they never bother or care to learn anything.”

With a wave of her hand, the doors flew open and she turned her nose up. “Now come,” Khione instructed, crossing the threshold. “Before I get impatient and use you as décor.”

Not wanting to be known as Thalia the Ice Sculpture, she hurried into the throne room of Boreas.

He was reclining in his ice throne, naturally, in a crisp white suit, his elbow poised imperiously on the armrest and his chin resting in his open palm. A set of velvet purple wings were spread out on his back, fluttering gently at the sight of the demigods.

There were life-sized ice sculptures lining the room, and Thalia halted at the sight of them. There were some in Greek armor, some dressed as knights, and others were a mix of old and modern camouflage.

When she tried to advance, two ice javelins were crossed in front of her torso, preventing her from walking forward. Boreas ordered something in what sounded like French, and the ice guards immediately uncrossed their weapons.

Khione urged her forward. “He has ordered them not to attack.”

Great. Thalia shrugged indifferently to the softly spoken comment, but a violent prod from Zethes had her whirling to face him. Before she could do something reasonable—like bust his acne open with her fist—Piper grabbed her forearm and used it to turn her to face the front again.

Thalia pulled away from the hold. In this even colder throne room, Piper’s skin felt like ice.

“ _Bienvenu_ ,” Boreas said. “ _Je suis Boreas le Roi._ _Et vous?_ ”

Thalia only recognized the phrase: And you?

Pun intended, the rest was all foreign to her.

Khione began to speak, but Piper stepped forward and gracefully curtsied.

“ _Votre Majesté,_ ” she greeted. “ _Je suis Piper McLean. Et c’est Thalia, fille de Zeus."_

Boreas was delighted, clapping his hands happily. " _Vous parlez français? Très bien_!"

Thalia almost didn't realize it was Piper speaking. "You speak French?"

"Annabeth told me before we left that it was a blessing of Aphrodite. Something about it being the language of love."

Boreas said something else, prompting an affirmative answer from Piper. He shooed Khione away, obviously thinking her presence to be no longer necessary. The princess looked miffed, scoffing at the dismissal while her brother found it humorous. The king spoke again, but it caused Piper's face to turn pale.

"What?" Thalia asked, worried at the reaction. "What is it?"

"He—he said..."

"Oh, please, allow me," Khione said with a smile. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I forget to mention that?"

"Oh, you might've," Thalia answered, mocking her voice. She turned to Boreas, her electric blue eyes boring into his. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why?"

"Because," the wind god answered, "my lord Aeolus has commanded it."

He stood, walking over to them. Khione and Zethes bowed obediently, and so did Piper. Thalia was reluctant, still not looking away from his gaze. Piper had to force her to bow.

"You take liberties that you shouldn't, Daughter of Zeus," Boreas acknowledged. "Je m'égare. I digress. Piper McLean has honored me in my language, and so I shall do the same in yours. I have had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. As for you," he smiled amiably at Thalia, "Aeolus would not expect me to kill a demigod of your parentage...without first hearing you out."

"Contrary to popular belief," Thalia began sharply, "there is a goddess of wind, and she would be very livid with you if you killed her hero."

"Hera," Boreas said with surprise, his wings falling flat against his strong back. "She rarely has anything to do with the winds anymore, but no matter. You are on a quest for her, hm? Do tell me more."

"I need to save her," the daughter of Zeus stated just as firmly as before. "What else do you need to know?"

"Aeolus isn't fond of demigods," he continued, unfazed. "It's his job to control the winds. They can be a bit...hectic. During the second war, Typhon was defeated again, and his death released a wave of venti."

"Which Aeolus has to round up again," Piper guessed. "Like in the myth."

"Not a myth, Miss McLean," he replied, smiling in amusement. "But yes. Like in the myth."

"Your Majesty, that isn't fair," Piper said, stunned. "Why blame the demigods?"

Boreas crossed his arms over his chest patiently. "Aeolus wouldn't dare to challenge the gods. No, they are superior. He works his anger out against the demigods who helped them in the war. He issued orders: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush their little mortal faces."

"Delightful," Thalia muttered, every muscle in her body tense. "But you will hear more about the quest?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Boreas said. "My lord Aeolus mentioned something about a child of Zeus arriving. He ordered that I should hear you out, and so I am obligated to. But know this: I am free to pass judgement as I see fit. You may very well live. Khione wishes for this as well. There are many ways that you can make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, you see."

Thalia inhaled deeply, observing the ice statues once more. "You freeze them, you mean."

"Freeze is a strong word. We _preserve_ them. Now, tell us the whole story, won't you?"

Piper quickly told them everything, doing a better and more respectful job than Thalia could have. "All we ask for is guidance," the daughter of Aphrodite pleaded. "These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."

"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas answered, stroking the icicles from his beard. "I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took."

"Coach Hedge," Piper said, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"It would be madness to oppose the one who controls these storm spirits. You would be better off staying here as ice statues."

"Hera's in trouble," Thalia argued. "In three days, she's going to be gone. In any other situation, that would be absolutely terrific, but a giant will rise in her place."

"Yes," Boreas agreed, shooting Khione an angry look. "Many horrible things are rising. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos is still going on. Your father Zeus foolishly believe that it would end after the war. The final battle is yet to come. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades...Olympus has good reason to fear."

"Please, Your Majesty," Piper said. Thalia noticed that, even though she no longer had the blessing of her mother, there was something beautiful about her in that moment that caught the attention of everyone in the room. "If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us. We could rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."

Zethes seemed convinced. He was practically drooling over her. "Yeah, yeah. She's right."

"Father!" Khione cried, outraged. "She's a daughter of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!"

Boreas was focused on Thalia though. "What is that on your forearm?"

The tattoo. She glanced at the detailed eagle , self-consciously pulling the sleeve of her leather jacket back down. Boreas threw his head back and laughed unexpectedly. Before their eyes his form started to flicker. Thalia turned away from the sight and whenever she turned back, he was completely different. He was thinner, taller, and beardless. Instead of his previous clothes, he now stood in a purple-lined white toga. On top of his head sat a frosty laurel wreath.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked them, his voice firmer and louder.

Thalia tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Aquilon."

"You recognize me better in this form, do you, Roman?"

"Yes...Your Majesty," she added reluctantly. This was better. She didn't feel nearly as unnerved by him. "But I came from Camp Half-Blood."

Aquilon's mouth dropped open in sudden understanding. "And Hera sent you there to...oh, this is a dangerous game she plays. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus has closed down. For her to do such a thing—make such a drastic move..."

Piper tugged on Thalia's arm to get her attention. As the girl was merely five-feet-five, the daughter of Zeus looked down at her. "What is he talking about? Why did he change?"

"I'm Roman, Piper. You know that. As for what he's talking about..."

"This should be interesting to watch," Aquilon noted, his eyes gleaming. "Pure bloodbath, I would imagine."

Piper swallowed nervously but stood her ground. "You'll let us go then?"

"My dear, I see no reason to kill you." He walked back to his throne and sat down. "If Hera's plan fails, which I suspect it will, you will tear each other apart, saving me the trouble of doing it." His eyes flickered to Thalia and he nearly sneered. "Besides, it isn't like you're really in a hurry to get home. Things have changed, Daughter of Jupiter. Things are still changing. You will be better off with the Greeks."

"What do you mean?" Thalia dared to ask. "Why wouldn't I want to return?"

Aquilon hummed to himself. "Juno took your memory for a reason. I would be wrong to dismiss that. You will go on this quest for her, and you will witness, firsthand, how everything plays out. You will find the winds you seek in Chicago. If you can capture them, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Sure," Thalia responded. "Consider it done."

Aquilon smirked. "Now go, demigods. Before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely."

Thalia bowed willingly this time, and so did Piper, watching as the god of the North Wind evaporated before them.


	6. Scratching the Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After falling onto a suspiciously placed arrow and experiencing an almost-kiss with Piper, Thalia remembers a girl from her past. A girl named Reyna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains mentions of blood and a lot of cursing, which often go hand-in-hand.
> 
> Some things are different about Camp Jupiter, but I had to change them for the sake of the story. If you see anything that doesn't match up with canon, that's why. Still, let me know what you think! I will do my best to update soon.

Thalia tried her best to keep them all floating in midair but it was difficult. She plummeted through the roof, and collided on the hard concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. Her ribs ached and it didn't help that Leo fell directly on top of her.

How in Hades were they supposed to know that Festus would have some kind of malfunction?

She gritted her teeth in pain, trying to hold back a voicing of her agony as she clutched at her wounded thigh.

Gods, what had she fallen on?

"Thalia, oh my gods!" Piper was cradling her own injured ankle to her chest, but she looked to be more concerned about the daughter of Zeus. "You—your thigh!"

Leo glanced down and screamed, scrambling off of her as fast as possible. Thalia would've laughed at him if an arrow wasn't lodged deep into her flesh. As she shouted a bunch of curses, her entire leg convulsed in pain. Her thigh throbbed. She tried to sit up but she was hurting way too much.

The son of Hephaestus reached into his tool belt and handed her a plastic bag. She dug the ambrosia out of it and swiftly popped it into her mouth, feeling it melt on her tongue.

His slightly bushy brows were furrowed. "Are you okay, dude?"

"I will be," Thalia muttered through clenched teeth. "I have a feeling that this isn't the first time this has happened."

"Lay back," Piper instructed.

"Um…" Leo gulped, sitting back on his legs and rubbing his jean-clad thighs nervously. He glanced to Piper. "Do you have any idea how we're supposed to handle this?"

Thalia relaxed slowly. Her voice was shaky and her brow became sweaty but she forced the words from her mouth. "It looks like a direct entry. It had to have been standing straight up when I fell on it. It seems to have gone all the way through, which is good. Means we won't have to push it all the way through on our own. Start by breaking the arrowhead off. It'll minimize internal damage for when you go to remove it."

Leo gaped. "You—you want us to take it out?"

Piper nodded as if to build her courage up, which probably didn't even need that much building up to begin with. She uneasily settled down onto her knees, careful not to put too much pressure on her wounded ankle. She slid forward on her knees, making her way to Thalia's side. "I know the basics," Piper revealed. "I read a lot. My father's been in a lot of movies, and I've done a lot of research."

"You sure it's safe to take it out?" Leo asked. "I mean, they do it in movies and shit but arrows are supposed to be really risky."

Thalia scowled. "It's not like it pierced my heart. I'll be fine. Sure it's not the healthiest or wisest way, but I'm no daughter of uh...Athena. So I don't give a shit—pull this fucking thing out of my leg."

Piper took a relaxing breath, rubbing her hands together. "Okay. Okay. We can do this, Thalia."

"I know I can," Thalia grumbled.

"And I can, too," Piper muttered back.

Piper wrapped her hand unsurely around the shaft of the arrow—around the space directly underneath the arrowhead. She swallowed, bracing herself. She snapped the section of the arrow off, wincing in sympathy when Thalia cried out. Thalia felt the sensation of the shaft breaking off, another jolt of pain shooting through her thigh. She bit down hard on her lip to suppress another outburst. She didn't want to look weak in front of them.

Piper was breathing heavily. "Now I pull it out from the end, right?"

Thalia slowly managed to turn on her side, resting on her uninjured thigh.

"Yeah. Grab the end with the fletchings."

"The what?" Leo asked, confused.

"Just fucking pull it out!"

Piper wrapped her hand around the end, hesitating at the sight of the blood spilling onto her skin. "Are you sure—?"

"I'm positive," Thalia answered quietly, calming down from her angry retort. "Do it. Trust me."

The scream that resulted nearly shook the entire warehouse. It caused thunder to rumble and lightning to crackle in the clouds above—they could see it from the gap in the roof.

Leo whistled, glancing doubtfully at the sky above. "Don't make it storm, man. We're not exactly sheltered right now."

Thalia eventually calmed to mere whimpers—though she would never admit that she ever made that noise. She didn't have to tell Piper what to do next. Piper pressed her hands to both sides of the wound, feeling slightly nauseous as the blood pumped out freely.

"Harder," the daughter of Jupiter demanded. "As hard as you can."

Piper complied. "Leo, check her backpack for bandages. I need you to wrap the wound while I apply pressure."

Even though it was clear that he was bothered by the sight of blood, he quickly set to work, digging the bandages out from the bottom of her bag. He made his way over to them, listening as Piper instructed him on how to wrap it. In moments the job was finished. Thalia was now positioned on her back, sweat dripping from her lithe body. Piper went into mother-bear mode, feeding the bigger girl handful after handful of ambrosia and swatting Leo when he leaned over too close.

"Can't eat anymore," the dark-haired demigoddess mumbled, turning her head to the side. "I'll burn up—literally."

"What about nectar?" Leo asked, handing her a canteen filled with it.

She accepted gratefully, drinking it down. She drank as much as she could and then she handed it back. She grunted in pain, managing to bring herself into a sitting position again. The pain was dulling slightly. She felt the ambrosia and nectar humming through her bloody thigh, numbing the mangled skin. She would be able to walk soon. It hadn't been some serious injury.

"We need to get moving," she answered their curious looks. Unable to stand, she unintentionally cursed in Latin. "Help me up."

"Thalia, maybe it's best if we rest here for a while."

The daughter of Jupiter shook her head. "On a tight schedule."

"You're going to be on a tight stretcher if you don't sit your ass down." Piper sighed. "C'mon. We could all use a little rest, especially since we have to find a new means of transportation pretty soon."

Thalia reluctantly rested on her back. "I'm not tired. I'm hungry."

Leo produced a number of ingredients from his tool belt. "Wah-la!"

Piper's eyes were wide. "Whoa, you've had food this whole time?"

He cleared his throat. "Magical tool belt. I can summon anything I want from it. Sweet, huh?"

"Well get to cooking, Rachael Ray," Thalia retorted. "You have two starving demigods on your hands."

"Hi, I'm Leo Valdez, sexy playgirl model and multi-billionaire," he introduced with exaggerated hand motions as he began to make sandwiches. "Today we're going to start by making sandwiches, possibly the most complicated dish on the menu."

Thalia smirked, shaking her head. "How ever do you do it?"

Leo posed dramatically. "It's a talent! Whatcha want on yours?"

She thought for a moment before deciding to mess with him. She listed every sandwich fixing she could think of. "And I want it grilled," she finished, keeping a straight face.

"Hah!" he laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, you're getting a ham and cheese." He wagged his eyebrows at Piper. "And for Piper, a classic PB&J?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "You know it, Chef Valdez."

They ate their sandwiches in a relatively comfortable silence. Thalia gulped down about four ham and cheeses before Leo finally cut her off. Piper could only stomach one-and-a-half for some reason but Thalia didn't push the subject. Leo didn't even finish his first sandwich. What was wrong with her kinda-sorta-friends? They were probably disturbed by the amount of blood that she had gotten all over them. The daughter of Jupiter happened to glace down at Piper's ankle and she felt like punching herself in the face.

"By Jove! I completely forgot about your ankle. Leo, do you have any more medical supplies?"

"By Jove?" Piper murmured to herself in confusion. "What are you, a million years old?"

"Sure thing," he said, reaching inside of his tool belt again and producing a wad of gauze and roll of duct tape. He handed them over to Thalia.

Piper downed two squares of ambrosia, feeling it relax her a little. Thalia furrowed her brows in concentration as she studied the broken ankle.

"How have you put up with the pain this long?"

"After you mentioned food, my pain scooted to the back burner," Piper said, wincing as her ankle was forced into a different position.

"But you didn't even eat much," Thalia noted. She noticed the other girl look away. "Hey," she began, placing a hand on Piper's knee. "You know you don't have to prove anything to us, right?"

"Yeah, Pipes," Leo added, "you're one of the strongest people I know. And one of the most stubborn."

"I think it's kind of suspicious that you're the only one who can walk properly right now," Thalia teased. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Thalia felt Piper tense but she dismissed it as an expression of pain. "You caught me," Leo said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I submit. I'm a big fat liar. I've been lying to you from the beginning."

Piper coughed uncomfortably, changing the direction of the conversation. "I'm ready for you to set it."

Thalia arched a brow but brushed the strange behavior off. "All right. It might sting a little. You can grab Leo's arm and dig your nails into it."

"Hey!"

Piper frowned. "I'm fine."

Leo handed Thalia a broken piece of wood to use as a splint and she really set to work. When she finished, Piper was grimacing. She had just punched Thalia directly in the nose—unintentionally, she swore—and the daughter of Jupiter placed her hand over it protectively.

"Damn, McLean," Leo cursed.

Piper punched him in the arm, causing him to clutch it in pain. "Thalia's not exactly gentle, you know."

Thalia mocked her words quietly, genuinely offended, but her friends heard it.

Piper's lips twitched into a smile. "Just kidding. Thank you, guys."

"Well, after you helped with my thigh, it was the least I could do," Thalia dismissed.

Leo yawned. "Are we ready to settle in for the night?"

"You can," the daughter of Jupiter replied. "I don't want to sleep just yet."

"Neither do I," Piper said. "You can go on to sleep, Leo. We'll keep watch. We can go find Festus in the morning."

"All right," he said, laying down one of their sleeping bags and slipping into it. "But no digging through my tool belt."

He fell asleep quickly.

Thalia and Piper sat together in silence for a while, staring up as flakes of snow began to drift down from the hole in the ceiling. Thalia noticed Piper shiver. "Are you cold?"

Piper shook her head but her teeth clattered, arguing against her denial.

Thalia smirked, sliding closer. "Come here," she said, draping an arm over Piper's shoulders invitingly.

The smaller girl was tense in her hold, hesitant. Not that Thalia could rightfully blame her for that. This motion was just platonic to her, but she knew Piper wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Please tell me you also have this super awesome control over the weather. No offense, but your leather jacket and body temperature isn't going to keep both of us warm."

Thalia shrugged. "Worth a try, I suppose."

She closed her eyes, concentrating on the snow. _Uh, can you get lost?_ she asked it, feeling incredibly stupid whenever she opened her eyes and noticed that nothing had changed.

"Hmm, maybe if you don't concentrate on the snow itself," Piper suggested. "Like, Khione is the goddess of snow, so maybe you can't be that specific with your powers. You'll have to force the snow out a different way."

"How would I do that?"

"Well, Zeus is the god of the sky, lightning, and air, so maybe you could—"

"Change the temperature," Thalia finished. "Yeah. I can do that."

It took a while but the air around them eventually warmed. The sun still wasn't showing through the clouds and snow-dominated sky, but that was okay. Piper and Thalia cuddled in the comfy warmth.

Piper arched a brow. "Maybe we should do something about Leo. We don't want him to freeze."

"Speak for yourself," Thalia remarked carelessly. With a light prod from the smaller girl, she reached out to feel Leo's head. "Whoa. He's burning up. I think he'll be fine without my help. Damn, I should be cuddling with him."

Piper laughed. "No, trust me. He's a kicker."

Thalia raised a teasing eyebrow. "How would you know?"

"Too many sleepovers with you knuckleheads," she answered. "Well, I guess those were fake."

Thalia awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. Biting her bottom lip, she caught Piper's attention again. She smiled, trying for something reassuring. She probably looked frightening. "Well, you know, we're all together now. This qualifies as a sleepover. Our first sleepover."

Piper tried not to smile but it cracked through eventually. Slowly, her hand reached for Thalia's. She was unsure in her actions, merely doing nothing more than placing their hands together. Not quite sure why she did so, Thalia softly stroked Piper's hand with her thumb. Before she knew it, Piper's incredibly soft lips were mere inches from hers. Thalia could count all of her pores if she really wanted to. She could _kiss_ her if she wanted to. She could smell the faintest trace of grape jelly and mint and it prompted her to lean forward only slightly. Their lips were almost brushing. One motion would stir them into kissing.

"Shit!" Thalia suddenly cursed as a jolt of pain shot through her wound. She retreated into herself, cradling her thigh. "Fuck, that hurts."

Piper was wide-eyed and breathing somewhat heavily as she watched the other girl pull away. "You might need more ambrosia. I didn't expect it to wear off that fast."

Thalia felt like she should've blushed but she didn't. "Maybe you're right," she replied softly, relaxing onto her sleeping bag and munching down another square. She swallowed it down roughly. "All better."

Part of her wanted to roll back and finish where they left off, but most of her realized that she had been out of place to begin with. She had no right to want to kiss Piper. She promised herself that she wouldn't mess with the girl, especially when she was still missing her memory. She fiddled with her fingers awkwardly.

She wanted to apologize, but she couldn't bring herself to. She had a feeling she wasn't really one for owning up to her mistakes.

Seeming as if she didn't need words to understand, Piper gave her a tense smile. "It's fine."

It was incredibly awkward now. If she hadn't suddenly felt that pain, would she have actually gone through with kissing Piper? Even if she couldn't be sure she was single?

"Thalia?" She merely hummed in response. "If this is an abandoned warehouse, why was there an arrow on the ground, pointing straight up?"

Thalia began to brush off the question, feeling that it was extremely strange that Piper decided to bring it up, but then she actually considered the circumstances. "Maybe it was an arrow warehouse?" She wasn't even sure she believed that. "It could be just a coincidence, Piper."

"Why was it pointing upwards?"

Thalia didn't want to talk about this. She shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. Why don't you go on to sleep?" Piper suggested, hearing the other girl fail to suppress a yawn. "I'll be fine keeping watch."

* * *

Thalia dreamed of a militaristic type of camp. She was young—maybe age ten. Her brother stood beside her, just as uncomfortable in the scratchy purple clothes as she was. Several people towered over them, sneering.

"Any papers of recommendation?" a snotty-nosed brunette girl asked. "I suppose not. Truly a shame. Do any cohorts stand for these…children?"

A tall, dark-haired boy, about three years older than Jason and Thalia, stepped forward. "The Fifth speaks for the boy."

A dark-skinned teenage girl, who introduced herself as Corina, glaring at the boy who had spoken, added, "And the girl."

The snide brunette from earlier snickered. Thalia and Jason seemed to be the only people to hear what she muttered under her breath. "Naturally. Nothing good could come from Fifth scum."

The dream shifted. Thalia was still in the same camp. But things were a little different. She was about four years older and the other campers kept their distance from her for the most part. Jason would socialize with them occasionally but she tended to stay away. Being in the Fifth, she had become the Centurion just a year prior. Jason was right up there with her, as they rose the ranks together. Corina and her male counterpart had already retired to New Rome, and none of the other members of the Fifth were willing to stand against the combined force of Jason and Thalia.

A quick glance around affirmed that they were standing in front of the barracks. It appeared like a new recruit was being 'welcomed'.

Thalia didn't know why but she stared at the girl longer than should have been socially acceptable. She was incredibly pretty but there was something else about her. Maybe it was the way her dark eyes scrutinized Thalia whenever they caught her staring. Or maybe it was that little scowl. Or maybe it was the suspicious raise of her black eyebrows. Or maybe it was the— Okay, she was going to stop before she received a swift punch to the gut for her trouble.

"Any credentials?" the same brunette from four years ago asked although she wasn't nearly as mean now. Perhaps it had something to do with the fierce black eye she was now sporting. Thalia smirked as she watched the older legionnaire fidget. She could only assume this was one of the praetors. "Will any cohorts take her?"

Before Thalia could say anything, wanting to be the generous hero and speak for her, Jason was already smiling his prized Golden Boy smile, announcing that the Fifth Cohort would welcome her. Thalia closed her slack-jawed mouth, burying her hands in the pockets of her leather pants. So much for that. She turned her gaze to the ground, studying the way the grass appeared dull and brown. The Romans didn't care much for beauty.

One of the centurions of the Third Cohort stepped forward. "The Third would like to challenge."

Jason, the ever accommodating person he was, smiled reluctantly and stepped down. Thalia didn't. She spoke, raising her chin imperiously. "The Fifth recognizes the challenge and disregards it."

Her voice was firm and shook the Third centurion, Hank, and she was surprised as she watched the boy stand back, acquiescing. 

"Very, well," the praetor, the black-eyed brunette, said, bewildered. "You are accepted into the Fifth." 

Thalia tuned out the rest, giving a small, tense smile whenever her brother demanded a childish high-five. She humored him anyway, her darker hand contrasting against his. It was hard to believe how much they differed as twins. Jason left her to stand a few feet away, engaging Dakota in conversation.

"Are you in the Fifth?" Thalia didn't realize someone was addressing her, of all people, at first. It took another question to catch her attention. Light fingers tapped her forehead. "Anyone in there?"

Thalia scowled (well if she were being honest, it was more of a pathetic pout) and glared upwards…and then she stopped. It was the girl. Talking to her. Not Jason, not Dakota, not Gwen. Her. Naturally, she played it cool. She was collected; she was confident; she was the daughter of Jupiter.

She crossed her arms over her armored chest. Then she forgot what the girl had asked.

"Huh?" she inquired rather stupidly, losing all of her fake confidence.

The Puerto Rican girl almost smiled but easily held it behind tensed, controlled lips. "Are you in the Fifth? I need to know where to go."

"Oh—oh! Yeah, I—I'm with the Fifth."

She mocked herself inside her head. What was she, a prepubescent boy? Gods, this wasn't like her at all. She was usually so confident. She shrugged off the thought. It had been a strange day anyway.

"So am I," speaking of the devil, Jason walked up and introduced himself. "I'm Jason, and this is my twin sister Thalia. Dakota suggested I take you on the tour of New Rome."

Thalia bit her bottom lip, looking down to watch as the heel of her combat boot sunk a centimeter into the ground. Of course, she wanted to take the girl on a tour, but she cared too much about her brother to argue with him about something so trivial. Sure, they argued plenty, but mostly about things that truly mattered to both of them. Besides, he had more experience showing newbies around anyway. It was only expected that he be the one to show Reyna the grounds.

"Actually, Theresa here—"

"Thalia," she corrected.

"—was just about to show me everything," the new girl finished, though she certainly didn't look excited or emotional about anything at all. A little smile might have been nice to see. "I'm Reyna."

Jason frowned, glancing to his sister in confusion. "You—you offered? To do something for someone else?"

Thalia met Reyna's eyes. She was half-tempted to give the other girl's lie away but she decided a little tour never hurt anyone. "Yeah, I did."

"Why?" he asked but Reyna was already pulling Thalia along by her arm, easily navigating through the curious crowd of others.

They wandered in silence and as soon as they were out of Jason's sight, Reyna released her arm.

Thalia tousled her already messy hair. "What was that all about?" Then, smirking, she added, "Do you not like my brother? You're not one of those crazy Amazons, are you?"

And there was that punch to the stomach that she was expecting.

"Ow," Thalia muttered under her breath but she straightened her posture, acting as if the hit hadn't affected her in the least. "What was that for?"

"You ask too many questions," Reyna replied plainly.

"Can you think of another way to get answers?" Thalia challenged.

Reyna bit back a reply. Why was Thalia even bothering? She never showed a newbie around—ever. It wasn't like her and she knew it. Jason knew it, and now he was going to get suspicious and paranoid. Thalia tugged uncomfortably at the top of her breastplate.

"Have you been claimed yet?"

Reyna continued to remain silent.

The taller of the two started to get irritated at the lack of response. "Listen, you're going to have to talk to somebody. Even though I'll probably get hell for it, I'm making an attempt at conversation. And—and I don't usually do this kind of thing because I'm not really a people person but you came to me—"

"Bellona," Reyna interrupted. "I'm the daughter of Bellona."

Thalia huffed. "That explains the attitude." When she received a glare, she said, "I'm the daughter of Jupiter."

"That explains the ego," Reyna replied just as smoothly, no trace of anger in her tone.

"Do you have any powers that you know of?"

"Do you?" the smaller—yet somehow more intimidating—girl countered. "Besides the ability to ask an unlimited amount of pointless questions."

"I wouldn't call them pointless," Thalia responded heatedly, huffing in frustration. Gods, this girl was really something else. The least she could do was show a tiny bit of gratitude. She didn't understand her, like at all. She didn't seem angry, and yet she was being short and reluctant. And why was Thalia enjoying the conversation? "Control over my father's domain mostly. All demigods have increased strength, agility, and speed though. Compared to mortals."

"I'm…good with weapons. And fighting, strategy, things like that."

Thalia wanted to spit out some sort of jibe but she honestly didn't feel like ruining their conversation. She kind of liked talking to Reyna. "Bellona has a lot of shrines and a temple here. Do you, uh, want to see?"

"That nervous brown-haired girl—the one with the receding hairline—said I was supposed to get some kind of supplies."

Trying to not point out the fact that Reyna had just insulted their shaky praetor, Thalia silently reprimanded herself for offering to take her elsewhere. Why would Reyna want to hang out with her anyway? "Right. That is regulation. Uh, it's that building over there."

They entered and she immediately introduced Reyna to her somewhat-friend Gaius. He was a pudgy boy belonging to the Second Cohort; his parents were fucking loaded with enough cash to stock the coliseum, so it was fairly easy for him to get a good yet undeserved recommendation.

"She needs a camp shirt, preferably long-sleeved," Thalia ordered, ignoring Reyna's corrections. "Hmm. She looks about a medium but give her a large so she'll be comfortable."

Gaius handed her the ordered shirt along with a large metal box. Thalia thanked him, easily lifting it and setting it down on a nearby table. He started to hand her the key but she wanted to brag so she yanked the lock open on her own.

"She and Jason like to show off by proving that they're abnormally strong," Gaius explained to Reyna, sensing that his friend was intending to show off. "Pretty lame if you ask me."

"She didn't," Thalia replied briskly, throwing open the box. She felt stupid; why did she feel like she had to prove something to this newbie anyway? She pulled out a gold dagger and handed it to Reyna. "You start off with a pugio and a shield."

"I can work any kind of weapon but I'm mostly good with long-range weapons."

"So am I," Thalia answered. "But I had to wait six months before I got a weapon from my godly parent. There are no exceptions. You're on probatio. You must have what's in this box and nothing more."

"Probatio?"

"It means—"

"I'm aware of that. What is that supposed to mean for me?"

"Until you prove yourself or are claimed at Camp Jupiter, you remain on probatio," Thalia explained, not fully understanding why she was a tad bit upset at having to say the words. "Then you become a legionnaire."

Reyna hid her angered expression but Thalia could tell she was bothered at being forced to be subordinate. Reyna slid the dagger into the sheath provided for her, swiftly strapping the shield to her back. Thalia hesitantly placed her hand on Reyna's shoulder, immediately feeling the smaller girl tense. But she didn't shrug her hold off, so the daughter of Jupiter kept it there for a second longer.

"You'll fit right in."

"Please." Reyna scoffed, shrugging her off finally. "What is your rank?"

"Centurion." Thalia squared her shoulders, trying to hide her pride. "Just a centurion."

"That's more than I am."

"I can already tell it isn't." Thalia took a whiff of Reyna unintentionally, ignoring the resulting glare. "And you smell like mango," she murmured, hoping to death that Gaius didn't overhear and tease her. She couldn't help her attention span; the whole time they were talking, she had been forcing herself to refrain from smelling Reyna. Her nostrils had been picking up the scent of mango with the gusts of wind outside, and boy did she love mango.

"I hate mango."

Thalia smirked. "You better get in the bath then. C'mon, I guess I have to show you that, too. It's just like one of the bathhouses in Ancient Rome."

Reyna crossed her arms over her developing chest, somehow appearing a lot taller than her five-foot-seven form. "Though a lot more sanitary, I presume?"

"That depends on your definition of sanitary, Rey."

"Don't call me that."

"You got it…Rey."

Reyna groaned in fake irritation. Thalia could tell she didn't  _really_ find her  _that_ annoying. At least not yet.

"And Rey?" Thalia said, mustering up her courage and sending her a slanted kind of smile. "One day, I'm taking you to one of Bellona's shrines. One day soon."

Reyna rolled her eyes and sighed, but she didn't look too upset at the idea. "I suppose that wouldn't be a horrible idea."

In her dream, Thalia felt like doing a victory dance, but she settled for playing it totally cool...and she tripped on their way out of the building.

Thalia awoke with a start, her forehead warm to the touch. Leo, who was now keeping watch, didn't even notice her wake. Her arm was unfortunately being strangled by a slumbering Piper. Guilt dripped from her pores in the form of uncomfortable sweat as she carefully pulled away from the other girl. She didn't know the purpose behind having the dream, but she suddenly didn't feel so flattered and playful around Piper. She had a strange queasy feeling in her stomach—like she was almost doing something wrong. And she had a strong feeling that her guilt had something to do with this Reyna girl.

Quietly mumbling to herself, Thalia tried to get warm again and eventually drifted back off to sleep in the process, too tired to hear the echoing howls in the distance.


	7. Sense of Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia, Piper, and Leo meet (mostly) lesbian monster hunters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be a big time jump from the end of this chapter to the start of the next chapter, so look out. Also, this chapter features Zoë/Bianca.
> 
> Enjoy!

Thalia woke up again to someone’s hands tending to her thigh wound. She assumed they were either Piper’s or Leo’s and so she relaxed and kept her eyes closed. But then she felt a slight sting as a jelly-like substance was rubbed into her skin.

She shot up but soft hands held her down, whispering soothing commands into her ear. “Relax, Daughter of Zeus. We will not hurt thee.”

Her eyes slowly flickered open to see a girl above her. Caramel strands of hair tickled her chapped lips, and dark eyes—a familiar kind of dark—stared back at her in sympathy. The girl also had a silver circlet upon her brow and was dressed in silver camo. Her smile was kind enough but Thalia couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl had something against her—something instinctual, maybe.

The girl kneeling by Thalia’s thigh was saying something to her but Thalia wasn’t paying very much attention.

The pretty girl looming over her smirked, repeating the words of her friend. “I am called Zoë. Phoebe is one of our best healers and she will be tending to thy leg properly. She says thy wound is going to require stitches. Thou will be able to bear the pain, yes?”

“Uh?” Thalia replied back numbly. Then she shook her head. “Pain? Yeah, I love pain.”

Phoebe grumbled. “Great! You’ll love this.”

The daughter of Jupiter was way too distracted to cry out as Phoebe began to stitch her up with a sharp needle. She was staring straight at Zoë. She reminded her of someone. Who was it? Dark eyes, dark hair, tough exterior…

Reyna.

Thalia swallowed, glancing away from the pretty girl’s stare. She had a quest to finish. She sat up as soon as Phoebe was done with stitching her leg, and she immediately started looking around for Piper and Leo.

“Looking for your friends?” Zoë inquired. Thalia nodded. “The _boy_ is dealing with the giant automaton. Piper is getting her ankle healed.”

“Who are you people?” the daughter of Jupiter ventured to ask, finally.

“Now you ask?” Phoebe scoffed. “Sure, we could’ve been murders but you were too busy ogling—”

“ _Phoebe_ ,” Zoë cut in firmly. Her friend respectfully shut her mouth. “Why don’t you find Bianca and Piper and bring them to me?”

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. “What about Leo?”

“The _boy_ is not welcome among the Hunters of Artemis,” Phoebe asserted before receiving another harsh look from Zoë and hurrying off.

Zoë sighed, smiling apologetically. “It may seem harsh but what she says is true. Artemis does not take kindly to men who dare to associate with her huntresses.”

“Artemis?”

“Goddess of the Hunt,” Zoë filled in, confused. “Should you not be informed of this?”

“I—I just,” Thalia’s tongue massacred the words as they spilled out of her mouth. “Diana?”

Zoë nodded slowly in understanding. “That is my Lady’s Roman aspect. It is rarely ever used with your kind.”

“And this Artemis—she travels with a group of girls—”

“Huntresses.”

  “— _huntresses_?”

“Yes,” Zoë responded. “We loyally serve her, we reject all men, and, in return, we are rewarded immortality.”

Thalia had heard of something similar, hadn’t she? Another group of girls that stomped around in leather boots and disregarded men?

_“It is good that Camp Jupiter is treating you well, Reyna. But I advise you to be wary of this Thalia girl—she has the looks of a miscreant.”_

_"Thalia is not a miscreant. She’s done more for this Legion than I have. Your Amazon methods of—”_

_"There is something different about her. You would be better off with me—”_

_“You chose your path, and I chose mine. I am not joining the Amazons.”_

Fuck. Thalia grasped her head in her hands, feeling her vision begin to swivel and blur. Zoë was leaning next to her in an instant, advising her to take it easy. That had been Reyna’s voice and the voice of another…someone Thalia had met before.

“What happened?” a girl asked.

Thalia glanced up to see a small girl with braided hair that was a shade darker than hers.

“Bianca,” Zoë called her. “It is of no concern. Come, you and Piper may sit beside Thalia and keep her company until I return. I must consult the wolves.”

After she left and Piper and Bianca sat on either side of the daughter of Jupiter, Thalia made her confusion known. “She talks to wolves?”

Bianca was red in the cheeks, apparently embarrassed at being spoken to. “Yes. They are followers of Artemis. Each huntress gets her own wolf upon initiation, and we are able to communicate with them. They know far more than we do about some things.”

Piper smiled. “It’s really cool, Thalia. The wolves are beautiful.”

She tried to smile at Piper but found that she couldn’t. She heard Reyna’s voice again, as clear as possible in her head: _I hate mango._

Thalia muttered a half-hearted reply. Every time she even thought of smiling at Piper, Reyna’s face floated into her mind and taunted her. Gods, why were there so many pretty girls?

“Bianca says that Zoë wants us to travel with them. They know a quick route to Chicago.”

Thalia turned to face Piper. “Is that so?”

Bianca nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We know all of the—”

About her business, Thalia cut in, “Do you know how to track wind spirits?”

“I—I suppose we could,” Bianca replied.

“We were told that we can find some in Chicago,” Thalia continued. “After catching them, we’re taking them Aeolus, the God of the Winds. Do you know him?”

“I know of him,” Bianca responded, still a little taken aback by the drastic change in Thalia’s demeanor. “Lady Artemis watches his show sometimes. Zoë says he isn’t very… _there_.”

“There?” Piper repeated. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He is unstable,” Zoë filled in, sitting down next to Piper, edging herself further from Thalia. “Thou should be wary of trusting him.”

Bianca smiled gleefully at the sight of her lieutenant. “Zoë has seen everything in this world.”

Zoë ducked her head but wore a proud smile. “Bianca—”

“I’m sure that isn’t true,” Thalia cut in, glancing from one huntress to the other. “There are plenty of things that you probably haven’t seen.”

Bianca immediately frowned. “Zoë has been around for thousands of years! She’s seen—” At the look on Zoë’s face, Bianca backtracked. “I mean, not that she’s _old_ or anything. Gods, no. That’s not what I meant at all. And I’m not exactly young either, so it’s not like I’m judging—”

“Bianca,” Zoë interrupted, setting her hand on top of hers.

Thalia arched an eyebrow but remained silent. She risked a glance at Piper, shocked to see the girl smiling and titling her head in adoration.

“You’re not old,” Bianca was stuttering out. “Really not what I meant.”

“I know,” Zoë responded patiently, sending her a friendly smile before turning to face their company. “We would be honored if thee would accompany us for the night. We can move west on the morrow.”

“That sounds great,” Piper agreed, clapping her hands together. “Thalia and I will go find Leo and tell him the news.”

Thalia cleared her throat pointedly, smirking when Piper’s eyes widened. “Oh!” the daughter of Aphrodite realized. “I’m sorry. You’re the leader of the quest, and here I am affirming all the decisions.”

“No, no, I don’t care,” Thalia lied.

Of course she cared—she had a natural inclination to lead, and she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of someone else even threatening to take charge. Piper wouldn’t threaten her, she convinced herself. Piper wasn’t fighting her to be the best.

Piper made eye contact with her and maintained it for a few long and painful moments. She obviously saw directly through Thalia’s bullshit. But she smiled. “Do you think we should stay the night with the Hunters?”

Thalia couldn’t help it; she instantly calmed down. Piper was making sure to hand her the reins again. She looked to Zoë and Bianca, noticing that neither girl was even paying attention to them any longer. Even though it was unnecessary, Thalia nodded her affirmation.

She stood up, and motioned for Piper to lead her to their fellow quest member. As the exited the abandoned warehouse, Thalia observed the girls surrounding the exit. There were clumps of tents, circles of hunters, and collections of firewood for later on in the night. They smiled at her and Piper invitingly, really making them feel at-home.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Piper commented wryly as they continued walking past. “They glared at Leo like they wanted to tear him to shreds.”

Thalia grinned. “At least they didn’t cage him up.”

Piper stared at her weirdly but didn’t comment further.

When they stopped in front of Leo, he was frowning at what was left of Festus. The dragon looked mostly put together but smoke was rising from his back. The son of Hephaestus appeared extremely stressed about the situation, wringing his grease-covered hands.

Thalia lowered herself to the ground, crossing her legs as she peered into the dragon’s bronze face. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Nothing!” Leo replied incredulously. “Not a damn thing. Festus should work just fine. I don’t understand. Everything checks out okay. The only issues are the ones that resulted from the crash.”

Piper frowned. “Maybe some god was messing with us or something? Or wind spirits. Could that have been it?”

Thalia sincerely wished they would stop relying on her to know bits of information about the mythological world. “Could be,” she supplied.

Leo exhaled slowly, scratching his brow. “Wish he didn’t land on a line of fucking toilets, though.”

Piper scoffed. “That’s a load of—”

“No puns, please,” Leo interrupted. “My heart cannot take them.”

“What about that large fireball? Shouldn’t that have totally destroyed Festus?” Piper questioned curiously.

“It should have affected him, definitely,” Leo said. “But the outside of him is just fine.” His brow furrowed. “Hold on. I got an idea.”

He climbed up Festus until he reached a specific section of his back. Once there, he pulled open a hidden panel. “Oh, shit! What in Hades?”

“What is it?” Piper asked, standing on her toes to get a better look.

“His wires are frozen over!”

“Wires?” Thalia perked up. Wires meant electricity. She climbed up after Leo. She pressed her fingers against the frozen wires. “Shit. They’ve overloaded.”

Leo nodded. “Corrupted the control disk.”

“Something can be done about the wiring—”

“But the disk is another story?” Piper filled in. “What’s so unfixable about it?”

“ _Nothing is unfixable,_ ” Leo recited what were obviously the words of someone else. “I can—I can handle this, guys. Just give me some time. I can do this.”

Thalia climbed down reluctantly, not wanting to completely leave Leo on his own. But she trusted him. She trusted his ability.

She made her way back towards the warehouse, Piper following close behind, but then she paid close attention to the way the maidens were eyeing Leo—like they wanted to jump him the second he turned his back.

“Piper.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’ll stay behind. Why don’t you try to get our sleeping arrangements figured out?”

“Sure thing,” the daughter of Aphrodite said, smiling and reaching out to squeeze Thalia’s hand.

Thalia mindlessly pulled away, seeing Reyna’s smile behind her closed eyelids, ignoring Piper’s disappointment. She felt badly about the girls. She couldn’t remember everything she felt for Reyna, but she knew she definitely felt _something_. She didn’t even know if the two of them were together.

And Piper—gods, Piper was cute and smart. Thalia had shaky, unsure feelings about her. She got butterflies before whenever their hands brushed but now? Now, all she felt was guilt when they touched. She kept thinking of Reyna.

Thalia hung around Leo for the rest of the afternoon, relieved whenever he reassured her that her presence wasn’t bothering him. He actually seemed like he felt better with her around. The hunters were definitely making him feel slightly uncomfortable but they stopped glaring as much.

“Pretty girl, hand me that bristle brush,” he said, laughing when she elbowed him. He took the brush from her outstretched hand, once more using it wherever he saw fit. “You know, this is nice.”

“What’s nice?”

“Just hanging out with you again, like before. Well, I guess that never happened but you know what I mean, right?”

Thalia shrugged. “I think so. I don’t know.”

“Started feeling like a—oh, never mind,” he dismissed with a half-hearted smile. “Hand me that can, would you?”

“Sure thing,” she said, doing as he asked.

For a moment there, she had thought that he was going to open up about something, but then he had simply shut off. Not wanting him to feel awkward after the slip-up, she decided to share something she had remembered about her life.

“I had a twin brother.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that, I think,” Leo said, smiling. “At the campfire. Didn’t know you’re a _twin_.”

“We don’t look too much alike,” she noted. “We share some features.” She smirked, prideful. “I’m seven minutes his senior.”

“Big sister, huh? You recall much about him?” He was obviously working himself pretty hard but he was still able to make conversation. “Likes, dislikes? Things like that.”

Thalia shook her head in confusion. “I think he likes…staplers? Or maybe he _doesn’t_ like them. It’s one of the two.”

Leo bit his lip as he fiddled with another wire. “Kinda wish I had a sibling growing up. Company would’ve been nice.”

“I think it was,” she replied. “I think we were pretty close. I just remember that we were both overprotective. And I think we fought. Often.”

“Better than being alone. Take my word for it.” Leo cleared his throat awkwardly. “All right. I have a little more work to do on Festus tomorrow, and then hopefully I’ll be done.”

“We should get some rest. The sun’s already gone down.”

Leo nodded, placing his things back into his magic toolbelt. He climbed down from his dragon and landed shakily on his feet. “Shit,” he laughed. “Legs are asleep.”

“Walk it off,” Thalia encouraged.

She showed him the way towards their tent, which the huntresses had provided for them. She entered but before he could, Phoebe stopped him.

“No _boys_ are allowed to use our equipment. You’ll have to sleep out here.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Piper called from inside the tent, brushing past Thalia to stand in front of Phoebe. “Leo may be a boy, but he is with us. He hasn’t given you any reason at all to hate him, so what’s the big deal?”

“The _big deal_ is the fact that he’s a boy,” Phoebe responded incredulously. “Are you seriously taking a male’s side? And to think I liked you. I suppose you aren’t even going to consider our offer.”

“Not a chance,” Piper admitted. She dragged two of their personal sleeping bags onto the snow outside and defiantly crawled into one. “If you won’t let Leo sleep in the tent, then we’ll both sleep out here.”

“Don’t be foolish!” Phoebe argued loudly, calling Zoë’s attention.

The lieutenant made her way over, frowning at the sight of Piper, lying in a thin sleeping bag on the snow. “What is going on?”

Thalia glared at Phoebe when she started to answer. “Your side bitch says Leo can’t sleep in the tent.”

Phoebe seethed, stepping up to Thalia. There was a substantial height difference but the huntresses didn’t seem intimidated. “Watch the way you address me, you man-loving—”

Zoë’s eyes narrowed threateningly. “Phoebe—”

“Man-loving?” Piper repeated. “Just because we don’t want our friend, who just happens to be male, to sleep outside in the fucking cold?”

Zoë sighed. “The boy may, if he minds himself, rest in the tent.”

“Zoë!” Phoebe made to argue.

“Silence,” Zoë ordered. “That is quite enough from thee. Mind thy lieutenant.”

“Artemis wouldn’t allow this, Zoë. You know it. When she gets back—”

“My Lady is not _here_ ,” Zoë stated firmly. “When she returns, I will gladly explain everything to her. Until then, thou hast no say in the matter.”

Phoebe bit her lip, placing her hands on her hips and looking elsewhere. “The girls won’t be happy to hear this.”

Zoë glanced to Leo before she ushered Phoebe away, murmuring, “Come. We will discuss this further.”

“It’s just a tent,” Leo said dejectedly. “If it’s such a big deal, I’ll freeze. Hell, I’m hot-blooded. I’ll be fine, guys.”

“Shut up,” Thalia said, kicking snow on him. “Piper just pulled a crazy and tried to sleep out here for you. Don’t let her efforts go to shit. You’re sleeping in the tent.”

Leo cracked a smile, crafting a snow ball and chunking it at her face. She ducked just in time, and she would’ve thrown one back if Piper didn’t start insistently pulling her back into the tent.

The son of Hephaestus yawned, crawling into his sleeping bag. “I’m beat, dudes. I think I’m gonna crash. Hope I don’t wake up in the middle of a lake or something.”

Just like the night before, Thalia and Piper found themselves sitting awkwardly next to one another while Leo slumbered close by.

“Leo told me you remember stuff,” Piper brought up casually but her voice was tight. “About your past. Your actual past.”

Reyna, Reyna, Reyna, Reyna—

“Yeah, just my brother,” Thalia lied, getting the urge to violently punch herself in the face. “He’s my twin.”

The daughter of Aphrodite smiled. “What’s he like?”

Thalia wrinkled her nose. “He’s like me, just with a larger stick up his ass.”

Piper snorted. “Seriously?”

Thalia laughed a little. “I have no idea. I didn’t even mean to say that.”

“There must be some truth in it, I guess.”

She frowned. “I—I get the feeling he doesn’t laugh often.”

“He’s a real serious type then?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re like that, too,” Piper said. “Sometimes.”

Thalia arched a brow. “Are you calling me a stick-in-the-mud?”

“Of course not,” Piper replied easily, nudging her with a shoulder. “Your version of fun is just…”

“Not fun?”

“Well, it’s fun to you. But you sometimes act more like an emotionless machine than you do a teenager.”

The words were light and said with an air of amusement, but Thalia couldn’t quite process the comment easily. Of course she wasn’t some fun-crazy teenager. She had a fucking Legion to lead; she was a _consul_ , for Jupiter sake.

Thalia internally froze up. There was that word again: _consul._ Obviously, she was pretty important back home—wherever home was.

Hours later, she was resting in her sleeping bag, listening to the sounds of Leo and Piper dreaming away. The huntresses had assured them that none of them would be required to stay up and keep watch—“Get some rest, please,” Bianca had requested with a smile.

Thalia wanted to sleep—good gods, she was exhausted—but she was scared of dreaming. Part of her wanted to know more about the past but the other part of her protested it. She didn’t know if she could handle any more memories.

Reyna and Jason—memories of them caused her head to painfully throb. If she didn’t take it easy, her head just might implode.

Still, though, she was _so_ freaking tired. Maybe she wouldn’t have any dreams. Maybe her rest would be a peaceful one.

* * *

 

In her dream, she was walking in front of a collection of troops, each of them appearing worn.

“All right, you all know the rules,” she insisted, scanning their faces.

Her voice was like she always heard it—completely loud and bold. But it was commanding and that was what mattered. She looked much different than she had at age ten. More composed, less threatened. She was noticeably bigger.

“Fair play but show no mercy. If anyone breaks any of the rules, you’ll answer to your consuls.” The demigods shifted their stances but didn’t argue with her decisions. “Now, go receive orders from your senior centurions.”

Once the campers dispersed, lithe tan fingers danced across the front of her breastplate, adjusting it swiftly. “You’re an absolute mess, Grace.”

“You’re an absolute beauty, Arellano.”

Reyna shoved at her, trying to grimace. “You’re going to have to try better than that. And you know I don’t use my last name. But if you simply insist, it’s Ramirez-Arellano.”

Thalia smirked. “If you’re lucky, it’ll be Grace one day.”

Reyna scoffed at the horrible line but decided to tease her. “I’ve always found Jason sort of cute…”

Thalia glared, sniffing irritably. She tugged at her collar and looked away. “So not what I meant.”

Reyna fought off a smirk. “Please. I can barely handle one child of Jupiter.”

Thalia scanned their surroundings warily, ensuring that no wandering eyes were on them. She leaned closer, her sharp nose just barely brushing the other girl’s. “Handle me? Is that what you do?”

Nimble hands found her waist. “If we weren’t surrounded by a bunch of legionnaires, I’d kiss you to get you to shut your arrogant mouth.”

Thalia wagged her eyebrows, flashing a shit-eating grin. It was an expression that she couldn’t recall ever wearing but it felt strangely natural. “We could always ditch the games and go make out…it’s not like we’re actually expected to participate anymore.”

Reyna fixed her with a no-nonsense look. “Priorities, Thalia. That damn augur and his followers are still seeking to dig up any dirt they can on us. We have to be careful.”

Thalia inhaled deeply, sensing a faint cinnamon scent invade her nostrils. So Reyna had switched perfumes. She pulled her body further away, beginning to notice the curious eyes. “We’ll be back in time. Jason will cover for us. No one will even notice we’re gone. I work fast.”

Reyna huffed, pressing a firm hand to her breastplate and pushing her lightly. “We both know that’s bullshit.”

A sharp whistle broke through their conversation, and they slowly drifted apart.

“You can count on me making this up to you, mi cielo.”

Mi cielo. My sky.

Thalia suppressed a smile. “I’m holding you to that, Reyna.”

She woke up with a start, groaning aloud when it sank in that she had yet another dream about her past.

“Fuck,” she muttered, feeling Piper begin to stir.

She slowly crawled out of the tent, noticing the sun was just beginning to rise.

Well, it was official. She knew for sure now.

She had a girlfriend, and her name was Reyna.


	8. Saving Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper is faced with a choice. The three of them arrive at the Wolf House just in time to assist the Hunters of Artemis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This skips a few events. The encounter with Lycaon hasn't happened, they already visited Aeolus, they never came across Medea, and they're in California now. This takes place from Piper's point-of-view. It starts off a dream, but I didn't italicize that section. I hope it is easy enough to realize when the dream stops because it explicitly states as much. If it is not clear, though, I apologize ahead of time.
> 
> [Long explanation; feel free to skip past]
> 
> There is more about Thalia's past in here, as seen through an outside perspective (Piper's). It was difficult to write as her; I tried to make her less (um?) dependent than she seemed to me in the Lost Hero. Not meaning to offend anyone or anything; that's just what I pulled from it. Also, she begins to feel more appreciation towards her mother. I really like Piper, so I hope I manage to do her some justice.
> 
> Next chapter - the rescuing of Hera.
> 
> Getting to Percy and Nico involvement soon, so look forward to that.

Piper dreamt of Thalia, and not for the first time in the past year. It was a memory—or, she guessed, a  _fake_ memory—of them before their pseudo relationship started. It was probably one of the happiest days of her short life, and not because she really, really liked Thalia. It had more to do with their friendship—how Thalia could make her stop worrying about other people, schools, or just life in general.

Those memories were all implanted by Hera anyway, so Piper supposed that they shouldn't matter much to her. But they still did matter, because they continued to console her.

Thalia was holding her hand for the first time, and it was extremely, extremely awkward for Piper. Thalia acted like a romantic natural, flirting around and bravely grasping her by the hand, pinching her nose, twirling her hair.

They were lounging on the dorm roof of the Wilderness School. Thalia was talking about how she and Leo dropped an egg from the roof the day before, causing it to crack and splatter in Isabel's hair. Piper was laughing louder than she could remember ever laughing, satisfied that Thalia had gotten Isabel back for mocking her heritage again.

"Oh, so you think that's funny, huh?" Thalia said, trying not to laugh along. "Leo and me thought so, too, until Isabel proceeded to bitch us out for three hours straight. ' _Ugh! You messed up my springy curls, you dicks! That took, like, for-fucking-ever to do, ugh!'_ "

Piper cracked a smile. "That's Isabel for you. But she's right. She probably spends hours doing her hair."

"Geez, you're almost making me feel bad," Thalia said. "I ruined all of her hard work."

The dream faded just as Thalia was about to mock Isabel again. Piper wasn't sure what was going on. She was back in the place that Aeolus, the god who seemingly had a problem that involved tousling Thalia's hair, lived in although it was empty. The God of the Winds was nowhere in sight.

It wasn't long before she heard a woman's voice. At first, her mind told her that it had to be Mellie, the harpy that had shown them to Aeolus, but she realized she was wrong whenever she turned around.

"I absolutely hate what he's done to the place," said Aphrodite, smirking and waving her hand dismissively. "No sense of style, as far as I can see."

Piper should've expected that her mother would be that beautiful, but it was still somewhat surprising. Aphrodite's features and body shape morphed subtly, forming closer and closer to Piper's perception of beauty. She had seen many beautiful women before, including Thalia, but Aphrodite really took the cake.

And she wasn't even wearing any makeup. She wasn't wearing designer clothes. She was just…normal. Simple yet expressive, like Piper. She was nothing like Piper had expected. She had thought her mother would be anything from a self-absorbed superstar to a "hip" soccer mom, living vicariously through her children.

"How—?"

"You're only dreaming, my sweet," Aphrodite assured with a pretty smile. Hades, everything about her was pretty. Piper didn't know if she should feel proud or envious. "If anyone wonders, I wasn't here. Okay?"

Piper numbly nodded, searching for anything to say. Before she could stop herself, words tumbled from her lips. "You're not like Drew."

Aphrodite paused, her mouth slightly open as she pondered over how to reply. "All of my children are unique. Beautiful in their own way."

"I—"

"There is more than one kind of beauty, my sweet, and I'm the goddess over all of them. Just like there are many different forms of love." Aphrodite clucked her tongue as she ran her finger across Aeolus' stairwell. "He really overdoes the marble, doesn't he?"

"Why—why bring me here? I don't understand why you would—"

"Yes," Aphrodite said, nodding slowly. She seemed reluctant. "This is your freshest memory, so it was easier to form a dream around it. I know you might have been…disappointed to leave your previous dream."

Piper flushed. "I was," she admitted. She wasn't quite sure why she was embarrassed. "It was a nice dream. But not real. How—how come it feels so real?"

Aphrodite's expressionless look faded and she smiled. "Because you are my daughter, Piper. You see possibilities much more vividly than others. You see what  _could_ be."

"Could be? You mean, me and Thalia—"

She had that weird expression again. "Um, maybe. Or you could find someone, sooner than you think. But that's for another time. You have other trials to face first. The Doors of Death have opened."

"What do you mean?"

"You're smart, Piper," Aphrodite encouraged, winking. "You know."

Piper knew it shouldn't have been possible but the hair on her arms rose. A chill ran up her spine. "Someone opened a new entrance from the Underworld. It's letting the dead escape back into the world."

"And not just any dead. The worst, the most powerful, the ones most likely to hate the gods."

"Monsters, you mean," Piper said. "That's why they aren't staying gone."

"Oh, not just monsters, dear. People. King Midas, Medea, people from your Greek mythology research."

Piper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, internally pleased that her mother actually seemed to know something about her.

She kind of hated that she was acting so nervous and star-struck. This was her mother—the same woman who had walked out on her dad. Piper had no reason to feel honored.

"Oh, you don't have to make me feel so bad, do you?" Aphrodite asked, a frown marring her pretty face. "It's not like I wanted to do it! Tristan was truly an amazing man. So gentle and kind, funny and handsome."

"You—you can hear my thoughts?"

Aphrodite clucked her tongue coyly, like she was trying to hide some sort of secret. "It was all over your face, darling."

"But—"

"It's always hard to leave someone you love. Someone you care for. I suppose it was for the best. If he had realized who I really was— _what_ I really was, it would have ruined him. Some mortals have trouble accepting it. Ask your friend Thalia—poor child. Her mother was practically destroyed when she found out that she'd fallen in love with Zeus. My name be damned if she didn't have a wicked sense of fashion, though. Woman could pull off just about anything."

Piper wanted to say something along the lines of ' _Well, you can pull off anything!_ ' but her mind was stuck on one thing. "Thalia's mom? Thalia has a mom?"

" _Had_ , my sweet," Aphrodite corrected, pulling a sympathetic face. "As most mortals do, she passed on. But it is not my place to gossip. Thalia will choose to tell you what she will."

"If she remembers," Piper muttered under her breath.

Aphrodite heard. She slipped something out of the pocket of her jeans. It was a glowing glass vial, filled to the brim with a milky blue substance.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me," she simply said. She handed the vial to Piper. "As I do with everyone, I am presenting you with a choice. I'm no Janus, but I'm not going to force you to do anything either."

"What—what is this?" Piper asked, holding the vial cautiously away from herself.

"All in good time, darling. All in good time. There is something you should know. About Thalia, about her life before this."

That caught Piper's attention. Her eyes focused on her nervous mother, watching the way she twirled a ringlet of her color-shifting hair.

"Thalia," Aphrodite started cautiously, "is in love. She's been in love, for quite a long time."

Piper nearly dropped the vial. Her mind reeled. "What? With who? With—with—?"

"No," the goddess admitted reluctantly, visibly wincing at the sight of her daughter's despair. "Not with you, my dear. I'm sorry."

Piper sucked her lip into her mouth, biting down on it softly once, before she spoke. "It's—it's fine. I kind of expected that, I guess. She's been getting distant lately—like she has remembered something. I suppose I know what she remembered now."

"Her name is Reyna," Aphrodite continued, watching her face very closely. "They're not officially together but they are very much in love."

Piper was a lot more resigned than she thought she would be. She supposed she had suspected it from the very beginning, when Thalia had gently shrugged away one of her hugs. Who was Piper to get in the way of something like that? Thalia had someone, and Piper could respect that. Piper  _would_ respect that.

Besides, it wasn't like Piper to fight over someone else's attentions. She was her own person. She didn't  _need_ to be with anyone.

Aphrodite looked surprised but noticeably pleased as she watched her daughter's reactions. "The potion will turn Thalia's affections…towards you. You will be her Reyna, her heart, and her soul. She will not be able to help but love you unconditionally."

"No!" Piper blurted out before she could help herself. "Sorry, I just—I just don't want that."

Aphrodite fought back a small smile, pleased at her daughter's initial decision. "You might change your mind, my dear."

"I won't," Piper stated firmly. "I promise."

"I am still giving you the option," Aphrodite said. "Keep the vial. Hold onto it. You have up until Thalia sees Reyna again to make up your mind."

"I don't—I don't want to destroy anything. I don't need anyone that desperately. I don't need anyone."

"Love is the strongest motivator," Aphrodite asserted. "But you are smart not to want that for the girl you care for. And I have so many more plans for them. Marriage, babies. It'll be so cute! Trust me, my sweet. The one for you has yet to come into your life. Show patience, and everything will fall into place."

"What about the threat to Olympus?" Piper asked urgently. "Enough about love. What about the giants?"

Aphrodite smiled understandingly. "You're very clever. You know who is rising. You know the being powerful enough to cause such an uprising."

Did she?

"Gaea," Piper said when the name came to her. " _Mother Earth_?"

"Do not underestimate her," Aphrodite warned. "She is a cruel deity. She orchestrated the death of her husband, Ouranos.  _She_ gave the sickle to Kronos and urged him to kill his own father. While the Titans ruled, she slumbered in peace. But when the gods overthrew them, Gaea woke again in all her anger and gave birth to a new race—the giants—to destroy Olympus once and for all."

"And the giants are rising again," Piper realized. "Gaea is awake again, and she is bringing the giants back."

Aphrodite snapped her fingers. "No, no. See, that's the glorious part. Gaea is not yet awake, which means she can still be stopped before she actually starts. The giants, they are rising, yes. But not all of them. Stop Porphyrion from drawing power from Hera and taking the place of Zeus."

"Me? What am I supposed to do? Throw on a pretty dress and beg him to go back to sleep?"

"I wish it were that simple," Aphrodite said. "But no, you will have to find your own strengths, and fight for what you love. Like my favored ones, Helen and Paris. Like my son Aeneas."

"Helen and Paris died," Piper unthinkingly disputed.

"And Aeneas became a hero," Aphrodite added. "The first great hero of Rome. You're traveling with the second."

Somehow, Piper knew without asking that her mother wasn't talking about Leo.

"Thalia? I don't understand—"

"The result will depend on you," the goddess added. "Thalia will need you. The Greeks need you. The Romans will need you. When the two sides meet, you will be the mediator. You will determine whether there is friendship or bloodshed. You play the biggest part in the reunion. And if the sides fail to reconcile—if you aren't there to assist—nothing will stop the giants from rising and lifting Gaea back to her former glory."

"What two sides? What are you talking about?"

Piper's sight blurred. She could only see flashes of color in place of Aphrodite.

"You must wake soon, my child," Aphrodite said. "I do not always agree with Hera, but she has taken a bold risk, and I agree it must be done. Zeus has kept the two sides apart for too long. Only together will you have to power to maintain peace. Now, wake, and I hope you like the clothes I picked out."

"What clothes?' Piper managed to call out just before she was tossed from her dream, and back into the world of the conscious.

Her back was comfortably lounging against the back of a café chair, and her hands were relaxed on top of a glass surface. Where was she?

A quick glance around confirmed that she and her two friends were outside of a sidewalk café, sitting at one of the few tables that rested out front.

Thalia was the only noticeably alert one, looking at Piper from across the table and drumming her fingers rhythmically on the glass.

For a brief moment, Piper thought of what she and her mother had discussed.  _She will not be able to help but love you unconditionally_ , Aphrodite had said. Did Piper want that?

The answer was no. She really, really didn't. She would rather have no love at all than fake love.

Still, though, just to be safe…she'd keep the vial around. Aphrodite surely had some other reason for giving it to her. Piper thought back to the heroes that she had learned about in mythology. Maybe her will was being tested by the gods, like the wills of so many other demigods.

Leo yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. "Where are we?"

"California," Thalia responded without missing a beat. "I remember it."

Piper wanted to loudly inquire what else she remembered, but she managed to refrain.

She thought of the girl Aphrodite said that Thalia was in love with. Reyna.

Piper wasn't sure how to feel. She didn't really think she was jealous. Naturally, she was slightly upset; she remembered the entirety of their fake relationship. Even though it shouldn't have been, it was hard to just forget about all of that.

But still. She wouldn't use the vial. She would  _never_ use that vial.

Thalia deserved true love. Piper deserved true love. And Reyna, whoever she was, certainly deserved true love.

She didn't want to think about that anymore. What were her friends saying?

Thalia glanced down for the first time, noticing her change of outfit. "What in the world…?"

In place of her battered boots, she wore a brand new pair of combat boots, laced firmly and polished. She was wearing a black shirt that had heads on it and read:  _Blood Sugar Sex Magik_. Piper recognized it from the cover of one of Thalia's (possibly made up) albums. Aphrodite had also given her a pair of ripped black jeans and her old leather jacket.

The daughter of Jupiter looked good—though less like the Thalia that Piper remembered. In a way, it was sort of comforting. Maybe it wasn't so devastating that she had fake memories of her. They could form new ones. She could come to know the real Thalia, the daughter of Jupiter.

How close was the Thalia she had thought she knew to the  _actual_  Thalia?

Thalia arched an eyebrow at Leo. "How come you're all dressed up and I'm not?"

Adjusting his fedora, Leo shrugged. "No clue. I'm rocking these suspenders, though. And Piper, can you  _say_ knockout?"

Worriedly, Piper looked down at herself. She released a sigh of relief when she saw that nothing look out of the ordinary. Aphrodite had given her a pair of jeans and a blue plaid shirt, and she had also given her back her boots that had been discarded by her siblings. Her old snowboarding jacket was stuffy in the hot weather but it was comforting just to be wearing it.

Piper was starting to think her mother wasn't all that bad.

Thankfully, Hedge wasn't with them anymore. He had left to go to Camp Half-Blood, to update Chiron.

"Who did this?" Thalia asked, confused, playing with the strands of her gelled hair. "Ew. Feels gross."

"You kind of look like Clark Kent," Leo pointed out.

"Who?"

"Superman," Piper supplied helpfully.

Who had never heard of  _Superman_? Had Thalia grown up without any entertainment?

"Ugh," Thalia complained, ruffling her hair as best as she could. She ended up making it worse, and so Piper leaned forward to fix it. "Thanks."

"So who  _did_ do this?" Leo asked, looking to Piper. "It was your mom, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a guess," Leo supplied, pointing to his get-up in amusement. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh?"

"She didn't change me at all. She didn't put me in a dress or anything horrible like that," Piper noted aloud.

"Well, duh, Beauty Queen," Thalia said impulsively. "You're already beautiful the way you are."

Shit. Piper couldn't help it. Her cheeks flushed. Thalia seemed to realize that the remark had actually come from her mouth, and she cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away.

A waitress stopped by their table and politely asked if they needed anything. Piper started to say no, realizing that they didn't have any more cash on them, but Thalia beat her to the punch.

"Sure thing," the daughter of Jupiter stated confidently. "I'll take a soda—I hate coffee. What do you guys want?"

Leo, eyebrows raised, answered, "Espresso."

Piper, although she wasn't quite sure what Thalia thought she was doing, said, "I'll take a pink lemonade."

"Is that all?" the waitress—Elise, according to her nametag—asked, scribbling things down onto her notepad. Her gaze lingered on Thalia, awaiting her decision.

"Yeah," Thalia said, pantomiming like she was pulling money from her pocket. She snapped the fingers of one hand as she handed the waitress empty air. "Here's the money. That should cover it all. Keep the change."

The waitress lifted the useless air like she held a fifty dollar bill in her hand. "Thanks so much! I'll have your drinks right away."

"Dude," Leo said, wide-eyed. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Thalia inquired, genuinely confused.

"That—that thing! You didn't even hand her money but she acted like you did! Do you have that charmspeak thing, like Piper?"

"No," Piper realized, gazing at her friend in surprise. "Annabeth told me some demigods can control the Mist. That's what you did, isn't it? You snapped your fingers and tricked that mortal into believing what you said. You twisted reality."

"Don't know why I did it," Thalia replied, stunned. "I—I just went through with it. I wasn't thinking."

"Hey, if it gets us free drinks, more power to you," Leo remarked with a scoff. "Manipulate that Fog thing all you want."

After they finished their drinks, they set off towards Hera. Through dreaming of a past memory and receiving information from Aeolus, Thalia discovered where she was being kept. She was in a place called the Wolf House, somewhere Thalia had claimed that she and her brother had been.

It was located in Sonoma Valley, and Thalia somehow knew how to get to it. She kept muttering something about following her senses. Annabeth had never mentioned anything about  _that_. Thalia said she was following some kind of travel instinct, whatever that meant.

"It's like this buzzing in the back of my brain. It gets stronger the closer we get."

Piper thought it was more likely that the pollution fumes were seeping into her brain.

They arrived in what seemed like record time, but the daughter of Aphrodite couldn't see what the big deal was. The house had been destroyed. All that was left was rubble and charred wooden beams.

But Thalia seemed to genuinely enjoy it. She was smiling—actually grinning, not giving that half-smile she always did. Her electric blue eyes scanned the forest as if she were looking for someone. Disappointed, she frowned but was quick to mask it.

"We have to get going—"

A girl ran towards them, only barely able to stop herself from fully colliding with Thalia. It was Bianca, breathing heavily and sweating. Her parka was in shreds, revealing the surprisingly defined muscles of her arms.

"Bianca!" Piper exclaimed, pleased. "What's happening?"

They all looked towards the Wolf House, shocked to see snow covering every inch of the ground surrounding it. The air was foggy and it was nearly impossible to make out anything.

"Fighting," Bianca responded. "Zoë and I are trying our best but there's too many of them."

Piper watched as Thalia instantly transformed. Her grin was gone; she was as commanding and austere as she usually was.

"How many?" she questioned firmly.

"We can't be for sure," the daughter of Hades answered, not even batting an eyelash at the demanding tone. "There are about a hundred of those things that Zoë calls the Earthborn. They're these six-armed dirt ogres."

"Dirt ogres?" Leo repeated, trying not to laugh. "Like muddy Shreks?"

"Extremely freaky," Bianca replied, apparently not understanding Leo's reference. "And wolves. An entire pack of werewolves, led by—"

"Lycaon," Thalia growled.

Piper was frightened by the shift in tone. The daughter of Jupiter had sounded so feral.

Bianca appeared astonished. "You know him?"

Thalia clenched her fists like she really didn't wish to discuss him, but she chose to explain anyway. "He and his pack are enemies of Lupa. He also hates children of Jupiter. You can say we aren't on the best terms."

"He's survived about seven arrows already. We're running out," the huntress remarked worriedly.

"I can handle him," Thalia assured. "Can you and your Hunters dispose of the others well enough?"

"Thou may depend on it. The Hunters are capable of eliminating the Earthborn." Zoë appeared from a cloud of snow. She looked rushed. "Lycaon and his pack retreated further into the woods. I cannot be sure what he is seeking, but—"

Thalia angrily stomped off, briefly shouting that she would "deal with it."

Piper had never gotten the chance to see Thalia truly angry, but she didn't exactly want to see what Thalia was planning to do to the pack of wolves.

"She is rather powerful," Zoë stated simply, as if reassuring Piper of something. "Now, come. We will show thee to thy queen."


	9. Her Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thalia chases after Lycaon. After defeating his pack in a fit of anger, she's met with a familiar face.

Thalia panted, hunched forward with her hands braced on her knees. She had chased Lycaon through the woods, never taking her sharp eyes off of him, but then he had just vanished out of thin air.

Why had he even bothered to catch her attention if he was just going to run away afterwards?

A large explosion suddenly shook the ground, and Thalia looked behind her and watched as a billowy ice cloud erupted, painting the sky like an atomic bomb.

Piper! Leo!

“Daughter of Jupiter.”

Thalia ducked and rolled across the snowy ground, managing to avoid Lycaon’s lunge. She pulled the coin out of her pocket and flipped it, watching as it transformed into her spear.

She jabbed and hacked at the wolves, only to find that her attacks had no effect.

 “ _I’ve told you the last time we faced off, Daughter of Jupiter_ ,” Lycaon cackled as he circled her menacingly. She recognized the Latin as it poured from his fanged mouth. “ _Your weapon does not work on my kind. You are helpless, without weapons, without power…you might as well surrender now_.”

Thalia may not have remembered much about her past, but surrendering? She had a feeling that it was out of the question for her.

If she couldn’t defeat them with her spear, she would use her bow. It didn’t have corporeal arrows, so she figured it was her best shot.

But first…she had to get to high ground. She fought off her nausea and leaped up just as one of Lycaon’s minions lunged for her. She caught herself on a relatively high branch, and shakily pulled her entire body onto it.

_Don’t focus on the height._

Thalia breathed in deep, completely focusing on the horde of ravenous wolves below.

“ _Trying to sit this one out?_ ”

She flipped her spear, willing it to become what she wanted. She soon held her gold bow in her hand, its weight comforting to her. She nocked an arrow and aimed for a wolf that was clawing its way up the tree. The transparent black arrow flew through his skull and dropped him. She watched as he dissipated in the snow.

Thalia swiftly killed five more of the wolves closest to her, not even breathing between shots.

The rest of them, following their master’s lead, retreated a few feet.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re scared now,” Thalia mocked.

Lycaon snarled orders, and half of the wolves dispersed, exiting the woods and heading back to the Wolf House.

Thalia grinned, breathing heavily. Her arm ached from firing multiple times in a row without ceasing. A lot less wolves to kill meant a loss less pain for her arm.

She nocked another arrow, this time aiming at Lycaon. His back was turned. She remembered Lupa’s advice in her head.

_Only a coward attacks a sleeping wolf._

She eased her hold, getting ready to strike as soon as he turned to face her again.

Unfortunately, she didn’t exactly get the chance.

The tree shook with the force of ten wolves hitting it and she almost lost her balance. Her bow slipped from her hands and she unthinkingly dipped down to catch it. Her fingers wrapped around it, but she had to hang upside down from the branch to reach it. She strapped her bow to her back.

She barely registered Lycaon’s snarl. “ _Attack_!”

At its master’s order, one of the wolves sprung towards her, its claws aiming for her neck and face. She caught him angrily by the paws, feeling his claws dig a little into her wrists. He wasn’t the largest in the pack, so he was easier to deflect, but he was still incredibly vicious.

Blood poured from her wrists and hands in streams, but she gritted her teeth against the pain. Thalia tensed to brace herself for the agony that awaited her as she released his paws and grappled his neck. He clawed her neck, ripping into her skin, and she fumbled around before managing to swiftly jerk his neck to the side, snapping it and ending his life.

She went to pull herself back onto the branch but two wolves had snuck up on her and clawed at her shirt, bringing her down to the snow.

 The hungry wolves surrounded her, but Lycaon instructed them not to attack. He wanted the pleasure of killing her, he explained, as he cackled down at her wounded form.

He leaned down, baring his fangs, snarling and spitting all over the place. She visibly cringed and closed her eyes.

Could she summon lightning? Would it possibly be enough to stop all of them? She seriously doubted it. There were way too many. If she blasted Lycaon, there would be several more to take his place.

If she was lucky, it would be over soon. She relaxed, as best as she could, and tried to think of the positive side to dying.

She tried.

But then she thought of Reyna, and she kind of lost her head a little bit. She recalled something she had promised Reyna, and she struck out without realizing what she was doing.

Thalia’s fist caught Lycaon in his deformed jaw, and she kicked up at him until he was off of her completely. When he landed on his back a few feet away, she braced her hands behind her in order to flip herself back to her feet. She held her hands out, feeling the electricity crackling through her fingers.

The wolves, unable to communicate with her, barked in fright and slid back on their paws.

With a scream, she released the energy, mindlessly watching as sparks rippled through the deranged animals, drawing rapid, crazed screeches from their throats.

She couldn’t see anything—her eyes clouded in anger and literally sparking along with her hands. But she knew whenever she ran out of strength, whenever she was unable to summon any more lightning, whenever she was left panting on her knees, that the only wolf left standing was Lycaon.

He howled in anger, his body charred and smoking. “ _You will pay for killing my pack._ ”

“No worries, Lycaon,” a silky voice purred. “I’ll handle her.”

Thalia’s eyes widened and she swallowed. She had her suspicions, but she didn’t actually think Khione had been that important in the big scheme of things.

She wasn’t able to fight when the goddess kicked her over, and she ended up sprawled on her back.

Thalia stared up at Khione, her vision slightly blurred with exhaustion. She saw that sickly smirk and the evil glint in her eyes as she leaned down and pressed her lips to Thalia's cheek.

“Goodnight, my little nuisance.”

* * *

 Thalia dreamed of her past as if she were an outsider, watching in as she interacted with the people she knew but didn’t yet remember. She was in some military-type of place, surrounded by a horde of armored warriors.

Her brother was a great distance from her, glancing down at her with apathy. He was sitting in a comfortable chair, positioned on a high, decorated platform.

He spoke to her, his voice tense. “You have committed crimes against the Legion, consul. I order you to rescind your honorary position.”

Why was he doing this to her? What crime did she commit?

Her voice quivered out of anger or sadness—she couldn't tell. "I rescind."

Jason glanced down at the look of pain sketched onto her features. “The Senate has decided to give you a punishment worthy of your transgression. Because you tried to do something without their permission, you must do everything without assistance—survive on your own, without food or provisions from the Legion. You may keep Aegis,” he said, motioning to the bracelet on her wrist. “And your personal weapon. But nothing else.”

A representative from the Senate stood next and addressed the people around them, recalling the transgression and how it was an insult.

Jason cleared his throat whenever the chubby man was finished. “Thalia Grace, former consul of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, you are hereby banished.”

A sickly blonde boy cackled at the information but quickly quieted himself once he received strange looks.

“You may bid one person goodbye. And then you must leave.”

Normally, she felt she would’ve chosen him but she felt anger swell in her dream-self. Fuck him. He was betraying her. She suddenly didn’t care if he was her brother; he didn’t deserve her goodbye.

For some reason, she steeled her expression and stomped angrily into the Consul House—a nice, sizable building constructed with a mixture of modern and ancient styles. She missed the hurt glint in her younger brother’s eyes.

As soon as her dream-self entered the room, a girl rushed up to Thalia and wrapped her arms around her tightly. She nuzzled her pretty face in Thalia’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” she heard herself mutter. She pressed herself more firmly against Reyna. “So, so sorry . But don’t worry. I’ll see you again. I’ll make things right.”

“Why?” the question was almost broken. “Why did you do it?”

“Explaining it to you wouldn’t make me sound any better,” she answered. “So there isn’t really any point, is there?”

“I know you wouldn’t do that,” Reyna insisted. “You wouldn’t hurt Jason like that. You wouldn’t hurt the Legion.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Thalia replied. “I was stupid and foolish and I rushed in without thinking, Reyna. I’ve always been impulsive, and now I’m finally paying the price for it.”

“Why would you try to lead the army to Krios? You know you were supposed to lead it with Jason, and with the permission of the Senate. You broke the rules—”

“To save my brother! I thought there was some prophecy; a child of Jupiter, if they led the attack, would die. That’s what Octavian said. Sneaking the army away without permission was the only way I could ensure that Jason wouldn’t go out there and get killed by Krios!”

“You believed Octavian,” Reyna stated plainly, as if the mere notion was completely idiotic. “We can’t prove that he lied to you. We can only prove that you ran off and tried to take the glory for yourself.”

“I didn’t want the glory for once. Don’t you understand that?”

“I do,” Reyna affirmed, toying with the hair at the nape of Thalia’s neck. “But they don’t. They consider it—”

“Treason, yeah. I got that.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Reyna pleaded. “Not when you’re about to leave me.”

Thalia glanced down, feeling her eyes tear up for the first time in years. Gods, she couldn’t leave this girl—why? She released a quiet sob, unable to force herself to meet Reyna’s eyes again.

“How much longer do you have?”

Thalia silently shook, forcing her voice to come out stronger than she felt. “I leave before morning.”

Reyna nodded jerkily, as if she was also shaking herself out of something. She reached up and wiped at the few tears that dotted Thalia’s face. “Come here.”

Thalia obliged, welcoming Reyna’s comforting arms. They kissed again, this time much softer and more relaxed, like they had all the time in the world when they knew they certainly didn’t. They fell into bed, gradually shedding clothing as they kissed and touched and gasped.

“Come back to me,” Reyna whispered against her mouth. “Don’t try to stay gone. I will hunt you down and beat the Pluto out of you.”

“Always,” the daughter of Jupiter assured, bending down to quickly kiss her. When she tried to pull away, Reyna fiercely grabbed her by the neck and clashed their mouths together rather ungracefully.

“I’ll wait for you,” Reyna asserted, slithering down her body and warming her cool skin. Thalia unwillingly shivered. “Return to me.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I’ll try my best, Arellano.”

“No,” Reyna almost begged—but Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano didn’t beg. “Promise me, Grace.”

“I—I promise.”

* * *

Thalia woke up to something even more terrifying than wolves.

She screamed in Hera’s face, scooting back into the farthest corner of the cell. She glanced around, her heart rate a _lot_ quicker than normal. Her body was chilly, and she looked up to see her bangs sticking to her face and peppered with little icicles. Khione had…frozen her and locked her up with Hera?

“Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon,” Thalia worked out between irregular breaths.

“Screaming was a bit unnecessary, don’t you think?” Hera drawled listlessly. “Really, it was rather dramatic.”

Thalia glowered. “Oh, it was absolutely necessary, you insane tw—”

"Hush," Hera commanded in that motherly tone that Thalia loathed. "You had a lot of injuries, but I think it helped that she froze you. She thawed you out, too, so don't go thinking I did _you_ a favor."

"That crazy bitch," Thalia muttered under her breath.

“I can’t believe you fell for that D-List goddess’ act. I guess you see a hot piece of ass and you clock out,” the goddess remarked hatefully. “Like father, like daughter.”

“You’re ten seconds away from getting left in here. One more comment, and I’m sending Piper and Leo back to camp.”

Hera snorted in contempt. “You wouldn’t be free, either.”

“It’s a sacrifice I’ll gladly make,” Thalia retorted spitefully. “Especially if it means the world will be free of _you_.”

Hera breathed through her nose, poorly holding back her aggravation. “Have you forgotten all that I have done for you?”

Thalia scoffed. “Of course not. I’ll never forget the way you ruined my life, robbed me of my memories, and drove me slowly insane in a prison cell.”

“You just got here,” Hera snapped. "How could I have driven you insane?"

Thalia smiled sarcastically. “Just anticipating the near future.”

“This doesn’t have to be so bad, you know,” Hera said. Thalia could practically see the sarcasm leaking from her tone. “We can talk, woman to woman.”

“Woman to woman?” Thalia echoed in disgust.

“All right, fine, goddess to brat. Satisfied?”

Thalia exhaled in irritation, but slowly stood and made her way over to Hera. She faced the front, gripping the thick, whirling tendrils that served to bar them in the enclosed space. “Fine, I’ll bite. What do you want to talk about?”

“See that large spire over there?” Hera questioned, pointing. Thalia followed her gaze. “The one shaped like the upper half of a body.”

“What is that?”

“A giant. The king of the giants,” Hera explained. “He is called Porphyrion. Say what you want about me—but he’s ten times worse. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again—my power. For weeks I’ve grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form.”

Thalia’s grip tightened. “I remember hearing about him. He was supposed to take my father’s place.”

“That’s right.”

“So, what would he do with you?”

Hera looked disgruntled. “When he awakes, he will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken.”

Thalia shook her head. “No. I’m not going to let that happen.”

“You don’t really have a choice, the way things are looking,” Hera complained. “I give it until sunset.”

Thalia squinted her eyes, peering at the sky. “A few minutes, then. Great.”

Hera rolled her eyes. “Well, what are you waiting for? Your friends already stopped by for a little visit. They're outside fighting with the Hunters. More monsters have shown up—the Earthborn. I'm sure they need your help."

Thalia frowned. “What?”

The goddess gestured to the biggest gap in the cage. “You’re thin, you’re young. Suck in it, and scoot out.”

Thalia glared. “I thought this was enchanted.”

“For a goddess,” Hera said. “I’ve never seen a demigod try.”

“What if it kills me?” Thalia shrieked.

“Then I’ll apologize to your father.”

Thalia offered a fake laugh.

“Well, get going,” Hera urged, scowling. “You have two minutes to save the day."

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a multi-chapter (mostly Theyna; Thalia/Reyna) story, but there will be other pairings. Some characters won't be paired up at all. There will be femslash, slash, and male/female pairings throughout.
> 
> It will also be extremely different from the original story by Riordan. I will try my best to update in a day or two.
> 
> Originally posted on FFN but decided to post it on here. If you want, let me know what you think!


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